The Night's Wish
by Melorama
Summary: Vera Corvonic is just a normal human being who is heartbroken after a break up with her almost fiancé, at least, that's what she thinks. What will happen when she meets Eric Northman at Fangtasia? Will she learn to love again, and can she teach the thousand year old Viking to love? Eric/OC Rated T for now, possibly M in future chapters.
1. Meeting Eric Northman

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or plot from Southern Vampire Mysteries or HBO True Blood, I only own my own character Vera Corvonic and the plot that I made up.**

**So this idea came to me when I started watching True Blood about a month ago, and I've only now decided to start writing it. This is my first ever Fanfic, so I would love for anyone to review and critique my work :)**

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I had wanted to spend a night alone with my almost fiancé (I knew he was going to propose to me soon, he had made it very clear in his actions) out clubbing and dancing, but it seemed fate decided to bless me with a curse. A curse that would change my life in more ways that I can imagine.

It all started when we arrived home at just after eleven pm.

Jake (my boyfriend and soon-to-be fiancé) walked off to get himself a beer and whatever else guys prepared for themselves, even though he already had had a couple of drinks before, whereas I had non-alcoholic drinks because one of us had to drive home, I wasn't one to drink much anyway, and just as I set my purse down on the table his cell rang out that he had received a text.

Picking up his phone, I sat on the couch and opened the message, expecting it to be from his work or one of his family members. What I didn't expect was a message from another girl that read:

_Hey hun, you finished your date with that blond human yet? I don't know why you're even with her still, I can offer you much more, and you know that._

_Call me back once you receive this message._

_From Cass, your dearly beloved vampire lover._

Frozen, I stared at the phone in my hands, not knowing how to react.

Was this message even meant for Jake?

Yeah, it must have been sent to the wrong person, that's it, but when Jake came back, beer in hand, I suddenly stood up, his phone still in my mind.

"Do you know who sent this?" I asked, with a tone that said for him to answer truthfully, or else.

He took the phone from my hand and read the message, many emotions crossing his face. Happiness, worry, guilt, shame, the list could go on.

Clearing his throat contritely, Jake shook his head. "Nope, never heard of her." I didn't believe him.

Narrowing my eyes, I took down the mental barrier I always held up and read the thoughts crossing his mind. I always hated to do this, but I needed to know if he was telling the truth or just lying to my face.

_"Shit, I should've kept my phone in my pocket. Now Vera knows about her and she'll be super mad at me. Why did it have to happen now?"_

Shocked, I took a step back, my emotions quickly changing to anger.

"How DARE you lie to me!" I yelled at him. "When were you going to tell me about her? Or were you just never going to tell me?" I felt tears threaten to spill from my eyes, but I blinked them back. I could cry later when this problem was resolved.

Jake seemed to regain his composure after my initial yelling, and he put his beer down on the table, anger in his eyes. "Cass is more a woman than you could ever be! And I was going to tell you tonight, in fact, but you just had to find out on your own."

Oh, so he was blaming me now, that selfless, arrogant ass.

My emotions were bubbling over the top and I couldn't replace my mental barriers even if I wanted to, and so his thoughts were bombarding my mind.

_"Oh Cass, her sweet lips, dark, rich black hair, the way she looks at me like I'm something more than I have ever been."_

Disgusted at his thoughts I whirled around and picked up my purse heading for the door.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Jake yelled.

Glancing back, tears finally spilling down my cheeks, I glared at Jake. "We're over! Seeing as you love this Cass more than me, I'm leaving." Opening the door I stepped outside of the apartment, "I'll be back in a few days for my things, then you'll never see me again."

Slamming the door behind me, I stalked off to my silver Infiniti G376 Coupe given to me by my mother for my twenty first birthday.

She had saved up for years and surprised me with the gift, and I could never thank her enough for it.

Climbing in, I started the ignition and drove off at high speeds, going at least fifteen kilometers over the speed limit, but I didn't care.

Using a hand to dry my eyes, the back of it came away black with mascara, and I reached for a tissue in one of the compartments to wipe it all off.

Biting my lip as I drove to Bon Temps (where my mother lived), I let the tears flow freely down my face.

I had loved Jake with all my heart, and I thought he had loved me too, but apparently the lure of a vampire was more than what he could ever feel for me. So be it, if he didn't want me, I didn't want him.

That's what I repeated in my mind over and over again, trying to make myself believe those words, and failing miserably.

With my tear blurred vision, I almost missed the glowing red neon sign that read "Fangtasia".

Without even thinking about it, I slowed down and parked in the visitors' parking lot, before sitting in the seat silently, drying my eyes with another tissue.

After two minutes, I took in a deep breath and pulled out my mascara and a small hand mirror, before reapplying it and fixing up my natural platinum blond hair, letting it fall down in slight waves, the red and purple tips brushing against my back.

Turning off the engine, I grabbed my purse and exited the car, gently closing the door behind me. Whatever my emotions were, I could never take it out in my car.

Walking up to the front door, I waited patiently in the queue of five people before coming face to face with a blond who had a seriously bored expression on her face, like she'd rather be doing anything than standing there at that moment. She wore a tight fitting low-cut black dress with red lipstick on her face. Her skin was deathly pale and she seemed perfectly at ease with her surroundings. Most likely a vampire.

I watched as her eyes roamed along my body, from my head to my toes, before looking back up into my eyes, a smile on her face. "My, my, I haven't seen a human as delicious as you in a long time."

Unsure of what to say back, I hesitantly smiled, "uh, thanks?" It came out more as a question than I intended it to be, but I didn't care at that moment.

"Can I see your ID?" She queried, and I quickly fished in my purse for it and handing it to her.

"Never thought I'd be carded at a vampire bar," I said with a sly smile.

"I can no longer tell human ages," she replied, looking down at my ID card, "we must be careful we serve no minors, in any capacity."

Her eyes looked up from my card and back to me. "Twenty two huh? How sweet it is, just barely old enough to enter." She handed it back to me and I put it back in my purse.

I didn't reply as she stood aside for me to enter, her eyes never leaving my face.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, I immediately spotted a bar and walked over to it, perching on one of the stools, before suddenly a man appeared before my eyes.

Stifling a shriek, I glared at the man, who was clearly a vampire, and who had a devious smile on his face, fangs protruding from his lips. He had long black hair that reached down to his shoulders and wore a black vest with no shirt. I could see many tattoos on his arms and chest.

"What would you like to have?" He asked, as if nothing had happened.

Feeling my heart beating madly in my chest, I took a moment to consider what I wanted. "Something strong please," I said, before looking around at the rest of the bar.

There were humans and vampires mixed with each other, all wearing black leather clothes and dancing freely to the music. I briefly let down my mental barrier and listened in on the thoughts of the people around me, and within seconds hurriedly put it back up, disgusted. All they were thinking of was sex, sex and sex.

I looked down at my own clothes and smiled. To any person walking in I would look as if I fit right in, as I had on my black skinny jeans, short sleeved and low cut shirt that reached down to just above my belly button, and my favorite black leather jacket that was partially unzipped. I was also wearing the silver ring on my index finger of my right hand that my father had given to me before he passed away when I had been sixteen. In all the events that had happened I had almost forgotten what I was wearing.

Almost as if something or someone was calling my name, I looked back up to see a man lounging, completely relaxed and at ease on what looked like a throne. He had golden blond hair that reached almost down to his shoulders, and crystal blue eyes that seemed to reflect the light. Many humans squabbled among themselves to get a picture taken of him or pleading him to bite them, but after just a few moments of watching him a voice distracted me.

"Here you go miss, one Bloody Mary with some Vodka," the vampire set the drink down in front of me, and I picked it up, first smelling it and then sipping a mouthful. It tasted strong, which was what I wanted, and I could feel it as it seemed to burn down my throat and into my stomach. I sighed in relief again, before turning around on my seat again to observe the rest of the bar, my eyes once more landing upon the vampire on the throne.

"This doesn't look like what I thought a vampire bar would be like," I muttered to myself, sipping on my drink again.

"It tends to get more authentic as the night wears on," a voice said behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder to see a vampire wearing dark gothic clothes with a skull tattoo on his bald head, grinning at me, fangs extended.

I wrinkled my nose slightly. "And who may you be?"

The vampire chuckled, and not in a good way, before leaning forward so his face was just inches from mine, a dark look on his face. I could see his fangs glimmer in the lights, and I tried to recoil, but an arm shot out to grab my shoulder, holding me in place.

He looked into my eyes and spoke in a deep and hypnotic voice. "My name is not of importance at this moment, you don't want to know what it is. What you do want to know is where you can have a good time, and I know a place not too far from this bar that we can go."

I blinked, staring into his eyes, a glare on my face. What did he think he was doing? Struggling to free myself from his grasp, I hissed at him. "I don't like your tone buddy, so release me this instant or you'll have hell to pay."

A shocked expression crossed the vampires face before he suddenly became very angry and lunged at me, pushing me against the bar, his hands painfully on my throat, tightening until I couldn't breathe.

Lifting up my hands to try and pull his own away from my throat, I felt a sudden electric current run through me before the vampire snarled in pain and was thrown backwards with a flash of white, hitting the wall about eight meters away.

Coughing harshly as I breathed in air once more through my bruised throat, I looked down at my hands, but they were completely normal. What had just happened?

Before I could do anything else, the vampire leaped at me with a snarl, but something jumped in front of me and pinned the man to the wall. It was the vampire that had been sitting on the throne just a moment ago. Along with that, the vampire bartender grabbed me from behind and hoisted me over the bar as easily as if I weighed like nothing, which to him, was most likely exactly the case. He held me tightly to his side, and I didn't try to move away as I looked at the two vampires.

"What is one of the most important rules while you are in my bar?" The blond vamp growled, his face inches from the others.

"…. To not harm or feed off of any humans," he replied in a strangled voice, as if he could barely get the words out, like he was being choked, which he probably was.

"Now leave before I tear your head off!"

I hadn't noticed before, but the bar had gone completely silent during the chaos, and as the bald vampire left, I hesitantly looked at the blond. His fangs were out, but when he saw me looking at him they disappeared and he looked around at the bar. "You may resume."

Almost as if by command, the music started back up again and everything resumed what they had been doing as if a vampire hadn't just tried to kill me moments before. I shook my head at the antics of the bar, wincing slightly as I felt a streak of pain around my throat.

The vampire holding me close to him loosened his grip as the blond vampire made his way over to us. They both shared silent looks and nods before he grabbed my hand (the left one) and led me away to the back of the bar, presumably to an office.

"Come," he said.

"Where are you taking me?" I said hoarsely, wincing at the pain of talking.

He smiled slyly, "to my office," and said nothing more.

I followed silently.

He closed the door behind us and motioned for me to sit down on the couch that stretched along the back wall of the office. I sat stiffly on one end, and he sat comfortably at the other, staring at me with open interest in his eyes, his golden blond hair framing his face.

"You wanted to talk to me?" I questioned in the same hoarse voice.

The blond vampire leaned against the back of the couch, raising his hands to clasp them together under his chin. "What are you?"

I was taken aback. "Excuse me?"

"I said: what are you?"

"I know what you said, I just don't understand why you'd ask that. I'm clearly a human."

He laughed. "No, I saw what you did to that vampire. Light came out of your hands and he went flying. How did you do that?"

I stared down at my hands, "I don't know," I whispered.

Suddenly he was right in my face, fangs extended, hands gripping my shoulders and pushing me against the couch so I couldn't even so much as wiggle. His long-ish blond hair brushed against the sides of my face as he stared directly into my eyes.

"If I find out that you are lying to me, human, you will not like the consequences."

"I swear I don't know!" I squeaked out, quivering under his harsh gaze.

The blond vampire seemed to consider my words and tone before slowly taking his hands off of my shoulders, but not moving an inch. In fact, he moved closer to my neck, and I heard him inhale deeply.

"Mmmm, you smell intoxicating, like lavender, vanilla… and sunlight." I felt his breath on my neck and bit my lip as he gently ran his fangs along my skin. One of his hands gently brushed through my platinum blond hair, from the roots all the way down to the red and purple tips.

I sat completely still, until a few moments later he leaned away from me - hesitantly, as if he was forcing himself to do so - and retracted his fangs with a soft 'click', looking at me more intensely than he had before, if that was even possible.

"Are you sure that you are nothing more than a human?" He queried.

"Positive," I replied. I was still put off and confused at his behavior, but I said nothing, seeing as he could turn from laughing to willing to kill in the matter of a second.

I watched as he stood up and ran a hand through his golden blond hair, a thoughtful look on his face.

Just then, the door opened and in walked the blond female vampire that had let me in barely twenty minutes ago. I was shocked at how fast the time had flown.

She glanced at me briefly, a smile playing on her lips, before turning to the male vampire, a bored expression on her face as she spoke in another language. "Det finns en vampyr utanför de vill fråga en sak." **("There is a vampire outside that wishes to ask you something.")**

The blond vampire frowned. "Jag är upptagen Pam, berätta för honom att komma i morgon." **("I am busy Pam, tell him to come tomorrow.")**

"Han säger att han inte kommer att lämna tills han talar med dig." **("He says he won't leave until he speaks with you.")**

He sighed. "Ge mig två minuter." **("Give me two minutes.")**

I watched with rapt attention as they conversed, sitting silently on the couch. The female vampire, I guessed her name was Pam, left the room and the blond vampire turned back to me.

"I am sorry for the interruption Miss…?"

"Vera Corvonic," I said confidently. He smiled.

"Well Miss Corvonic, I have some important business to attend to at the moment, but please, I insist you come tomorrow night, so we can continue our conversation.

Nodding, I stood up from the couch and walked to the door, pausing as I grabbed the handle and glancing over my shoulder. "I never caught your name," I stated.

"Eric Northman."

Forcing a smile onto my face, I quickly exited the room and hurriedly walked through the bar. When I noticed that my drink was still there where I had left it, I gulped it down in one mouthful before placing down three dollars on the counter before turning around and leaving the bar.

I slipped past Pam and into the night, quickly entering my car and starting it up before driving at a speed much faster than was deemed safe to my mother's house, in Bon Temps.

It had been a long night, and I was ready to fall asleep standing.

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**Okay, so this chapter was way longer than I intended it to be, but I hope you all liked reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

**Please review and tell me what you thought of it :)**


	2. Merlotte's & Sookie's Grandmother

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or plot from Southern Vampire Mysteries or HBO True Blood, I only own my own character Vera Corvonic and the plot that I made up.**

**Thank you to Mlle F and JamesNorthman96 for reviewing, your comments made me feel better about writing this next chapter, which I decided on impulse to upload now instead of tomorrow.**

**I hope you enjoy reading this chapter!**

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I quickly arrived at my mother's house and parked in the driveway, staring at myself in the mirror.

I looked like I had just been in a war, which it certainly felt like it. There were shadows under my eyes, and I could see bruises on my neck appearing, which I decided to cover up by lifting up the collar of my leather jacket so my mother wouldn't see.

She had never liked vampires, or any type of supernaturals, and when the vampires came out of the coffin two years ago we found out we had been living next to one for a long time. She freaked and we moved to America within the week. Now that my boyfriend (now ex) had chosen a vampire over me, her view of them would be even worse than it already is.

Sighing softly, I exited my car and walked slowly up to the front door, hesitating a few moments before knocking three times, and then standing awkwardly off to the side. I could hear her call out that she would only be a few moments, and fiddled with the sleeve on my jacket and bit my bottom lip.

The door opened and I could see the expression on my mother's face change for joyful to worry, and I was quickly ushered inside and seated on the couch.

Staring into my face, concerned, she drew me into a hug. "Sweetheart, min vackra blomma kronblad, what's wrong?" **("Sweetheart, my beautiful flower petal, what's wrong?")**

I smiled thinly at her use of my childhood nickname, and drew back from the hug with a sniff. "It's Jake…" I whispered, looking into her stormy grey eyes which shone fiercely with her love for me. "He chose a vampire over me."

Immediately she frowned and fingered the charm on the silver necklace she wore, exactly like the one I had, which I was currently wearing.

"Att bra för ingenting man, full av synd, alltid visste att det fanns något dåligt om honom," **("That good for nothing man, full of sin, always knew there was something bad about him,")** she muttered under her breath in Swedish.

Turning to me she smiled comfortingly. "I daresay he's out of your life now?" She queried intently, and I nodded in response.

"I tell you what, you go have a warm shower and clean yourself up, and when you're ready to come back down I'll have some tea and dinner ready for you."

Standing up I smiled. "Tack mamma, you always know how to look after me." **("Thanks mum,")**

Walking up the stairs to the second floor, where the spare room was, I took off all my layers and lay them down on the bed before going into the en suite and hopping in the shower, turning on the hot water.

Wincing as the water rained down upon my bruised neck, I stared at my reflection in the mirror, before grabbing the body wash and washing away all of my worries.

Stepping out of the shower half an hour later, all clean, I dried my body and toweled my hair, letting it run down in damp waves on my back.

I peeked around the door to make sure my mother wasn't in the room before hurriedly putting on the clothes she had lain out of me. Thankfully the night shirt had a collar that I could put up to hide the bruising.

Quickly brushing my hair, I bounded down the stairs, feeling much lighter than I had before, and sat down at the dining table where a plate of hot food was waiting for me.

"Smells delicious," I said, more to myself than anyone, before practically inhaling the roast beef and mashed potatoes.

When I finished eating, I stood up and cleaned the plate and cutlery, dried it and put them back into their respected places. On my way back to my room, I passed the lounge and gave a quick kiss to my mother's cheek, and with a "good night!" went upstairs and into the bathroom to brush my teeth before falling onto my bed, exhausted.

Not even bothering to climb under the covers, I fell asleep within the minute, dreaming of vampires and night clubs.

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Groaning softly, I groggily opened my eyes and yawned, squinting as sunlight streamed down directly onto my face.

Looking around, I briefly wondered where I was, before everything that had happened the previous night came rushing back to me.

Groaning again, I rolled over and almost squeaked in surprise. It was just past twelve thirty, in the afternoon!

I couldn't believe my mother had let me sleep so late, but at the same time was glad she did as I felt fully rested. Well, except for my neck, which was just a dull ache in the back of my mind.

Forcing myself to get up, I sleepily walked into the bathroom, brushed my teeth and hair (the latter taking me several minutes to complete) before walking downstairs and coming face-to-face with my mother, who had a large, cheery smile on her face.

"Good morning min vackra blomma kronblad." **("Good morning my beautiful flower petal.")**

Sleepily smiling I gave her a hug and meandered into the kitchen, where the lure of bacon and eggs drew me.

"Mum! You didn't have to prepare breakfast for me when it's past lunchtime. Say, why did you let me sleep in?" Nevertheless, I wasn't one to turn down food, and so I sat down in the chair and began to eat.

"You looked dead on your feet, and when I came in this morning you were sound asleep, I couldn't bother you."

I nodded at her explanation before returning to the meal. It truly was delicious, and I was sad to say that I had no room for seconds. Cleaning up after I finished eating, I went back upstairs to change into more appropriate day wear.

Putting on black and blue tights, a cream coloured, short sleeved shirt and sneakers on, I ran into the bathroom to put on my mascara and felt ready to face the world.

Bounding down the stairs once more, I passed my mother in the lounge and pecked her on the cheek, grabbing my car keys on my way to the door.

"I'm going to be driving around today, see what places I can find," I said to her as I opened the front door.

Walking to my car, I quickly opened the door and hopped inside, backing out of the driveway and driving in a random direction.

I didn't know anyone or any place in Bon Temps, so I was just looking around for any place that looked remotely interesting.

Passing many stores and houses, as well as people walking to and fro, I saw a big sign that read "Merlotte's", and parked in the parking lot. It was a bar, and it seemed as if there was many people hanging out inside, but this one was completely different from Fangtasia. More humans and less vampires.

Pocketing my keys, I strode through the front doors and paused for a moment, looking around at the people, before sitting down on a stool at the bar.

In a few moments a woman with blond hair tied up in a ponytail appeared before me, wearing a white shirt with a green logo that read 'Merlotte's'. Smiling, she took a pencil out of her hair and let it hover over a pad of paper. "Anything I can get you miss?" She said brightly.

I returned the smile. "Just a glass of lemonade, thanks."

There was something strange about the blond woman, something that seemed to draw me in, almost like a moth to a light bulb.

"My name's Sookie Stackhouse, and you are?"

Surprised by the sudden question, I stared at her for a moment. "Nice to meet you Sookie, I'm Vera Corvonic."

An interested look came upon her face at my name, and she grinned widely at me. "I've never seen you around here before, you must be new here?" The way she spoke made her words sound like a question, though it could've just been a statement.

I shrugged. "Yeah, you could say. I lived in Shreveport for almost a year, and just moved into my mother's house yesterday because of a break up with my boyfriend."

Wait, I hadn't meant to say all of that, the words had just seemed to exploded from my mouth without my consent. Glancing away, I fiddled with my silver ring on my right hand, embarrassed at my words.

"Oh, that's just too bad," Sookie replied, and it felt as if her eyes were like laser beams burning into my skin. It was a few moments before she realized that she needed to fill my order and rushed off to do so, leaving me sitting at the bar alone. I breathed a sigh of relief.

She seemed to be really straight forward about things, which was not the kind of person I was, but at the same time, there was something about her that made me want to be her friend.

Sitting silently, I turned on my seat and surveyed the rest of the bar, seeing families, men, woman and teens sitting in booths, their orders being taken by waitresses. One of which had red hair, another brown hair, and the third I guessed was Sookie.

"Here you go Vera, one glass of lemonade."

Facing the bar again, I smiled at Sookie, taking a sip of my drink. It was cool and refreshing. "Thanks."

"No problem!" She said before zipping off, presumably to take another order.

I don't know how long I sat there, but I ordered two more lemonades during that time, and I was duly surprised to see the two other waitresses sit on either side of me when there was less people around.

"Um, hello?" I said uncertainly. They both smiled.

"I'm Arlene Fowler," the redhead said brightly, "and I'm Dawn Green," the other added, both with big smiles on their faces.

"Pleasure to be your acquaintance, Arlene, Dawn, I'm –"

"Vera Corvonic. We've heard, you're the new girl in town, right?" The redhead, Arlene, interrupted.

Nodding, I took a sip of my lemonade. "Yup, that's me."

"Say, I've never heard your accent before, where are you from?" Dawn asked.

"Sweden."

Both waitresses looked absolutely amazed at my answer, as if I had just announced I was going to fly to the moon, and I just knew they were going to tell everyone about it.

"Wow, I've never met a person from Sweden before," Dawn said eagerly. "What's it like?"

"Now, now ladies, don't go pestering our customer with your questions, you'll find out eventually. Now go on, wait those tables for me." A man with strawberry blond hair appeared, grin on his face as he shooed the two women away good-naturedly.

"The name's Sam, Sam Merlotte. I'm the owner of this bar and grill." He held out his hand, which I shook.

"Nice to meet you Sam, I'm Vera Corvonic, but I'd daresay you already knew that?" It seemed I was introducing myself a lot today.

He nodded. "Yup, Sookie told me."

I smiled at his answer, taking another sip of my drink. "Is everyone here always so friendly?"

Sam nodded again. "Bon Temps is very welcoming, and almost the whole town gossips about everything, especially newcomers. So you'd better watch out, everyone will be wanting to ask you questions."

I laughed cheerfully, "thanks for the heads up."

Sookie suddenly appeared, a smile still on her face, and I wondered how she could keep it up all day. "There's an order of beer waiting for you out the back," she said brightly to Sam, who quickly excused himself from our company and strode off.

The blond waitress turned to me. "Hey, I was wondering if you'd like to come over for dinner tonight and meet my gran, if that's okay with you? She always loves to meet new people that arrive in Bon Temps."

Stunned by the question, I flailed around mentally for a few moments. "Uh, sure, why not? What time and where?"

She quickly explained how to get to her house and I nodded. She looked at her watch.

"Is seven thirty okay with you? I only get off at six and I'll need time to help gran prepare everything."

"Oh no, you don't have to make anything fancy for me, I'm fine with anything."

She shook her head, grinning. "So it's a deal?"

I grinned back. "Deal." We shook hands and she practically flew off to serve another customer.

Watching her go, I felt oddly at ease with our conversation. It was like I had known her for years and we were best friends, which was weird, as we had only just met. However, I was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, and so I decided to roll with it, or in other words, go with the flow.

After a few minutes, I finished my lemonade and dug around in my purse for money, only finding a ten dollar note inside. Placing it down next to my glass, I stood up and waved at Sookie. "I'll see you at seven thirty."

Walking out the front door and into the open, I breathed in the fresh air before climbing into my Infiniti G376 Coupe and driving back home, feeling more relaxed and at home than I had been in a long time.

* * *

Checking my outfit in the mirror (I was still wearing clothes with the collar turned up; a light blue shirt, black leggings, plaid skirt and woolen jumper) to make sure it was appropriate, I grabbed my purse and walked downstairs, smiling at my mother.

"You have fun, okay?" She said, and I pecked her on the cheek.

"I will, and don't worry, I'll be safe too."

I walked out the door and climbed into my car, driving along the directions Sookie had told me.

In just a few minutes, I came upon a long and winding driveway that seemed to go on forever, and which finally ended in a two-story house with faded white paint (much like my own house). The house was also situated next to a cemetery. Kinda creepy.

Breathing out deeply, I calmed myself down and elegantly (well, in my mind it was) stepped out of the car and up the front steps, knocking on the door and holding my breath.

After a few moments Sookie answered the door with a bright smile, inviting me inside.

An elderly woman that I guessed to be around fifty or so greeted me enthusiastically, kissing me on the cheek. "Adele Stackhouse," she said warmly.

"Vera Corvonic," I replied with a smile of my own. She seemed very nice, and I trusted her immediately.

"Come sit down, I made a chicken and asparagus lasagna with salad."

Following her to the kitchen, I sat down in one of the chairs around the table as Sookie filled our plates with food.

"Mmm, smells delicious Mrs. Stackhouse." It truly did, and my mouth was practically watering with anticipation.

"Please, call me Adele."

I nodded, "okay then, Adele."

Once we were all seated we held hands and Sookie said a prayer before we dug into our food. It was delicious, and I felt myself fall in love with Sookie's grandmothers' cooking.

"Sookie tells me you come from Sweden?" Adele queried.

"That is true."

"What city were you born in?"

"Stockholm."

"What's the weather and landscape like?" Sookie asked me, and I thought about it for a moment.

"Well, it is mostly flat lowland to the north, which is covered in forests, and mountainous regions to the west. As for the weather, it is mainly temperate, not too hot or too cold, though in winters it can sometimes get very cold and wet."

"That sounds like a lovely place to live," Sookie's grandmother said.

I nodded, "I miss it sometimes."

"Why did you leave and move here?"

Uncomfortable, I shifted in my seat, looking down at my plate of food, which was almost finished. "My mother isn't exactly a fan of the supernatural, and when the vampires came out, turns out we had been living next door to a vampire. She freaked and we immediately moved here."

Glancing upwards I couldn't read the expression on Adele's face.

"I've always thought that just because vampires are different, it doesn't mean we have to avoid them like the plague. In fact, since they came out I've wanted to meet one."

I laughed darkly internally, wondering if she would still feel that way if she knew what I had experienced with vampires. Not that I was saying all vampires were like that, but I had grown to be extremely wary of them now, especially with what happened last night.

The rest of the night passed by smoothly, and I found out a lot about Sookie and her grandmother, as well as a few tidbits about Sookie's brother, Jason, who I've pieced together to being a sex machine. I mentally told myself to stay away from him, and I swear I saw Sookie hold back a laugh, even though no one had spoken, but I put it to the back of my mind.

When we had all finished eating, she stood up and washed our dishes. I offered to help, but she politely declined.

"You have to come around soon again, your mother too," Adele said warmly, and I nodded and smiled in response.

"You can count on it."

Standing up I grabbed my purse, said my goodbyes to Sookie and Adele before promising I would come into Merlotte's so we could plan another evening together and exiting the front door.

"Good night Vera! Drive home safely," Sookie said as she hugged me goodbye.

"I'm always safe," I said with a laugh, before climbing into my car, and with a last wave, drove back along the driveway and back home.

* * *

"Shit."

I had forgotten about Eric Northman 'insisting' that I return tonight again. Looking at the clock I saw that it was already just past nine pm, and I still had to get ready and then drive to Shreveport, which would take forty minutes to an hour.

Hurriedly putting on the same clothes I had worn the night before (they were cleanly washed) I made sure the collar was up again, and that my mascara wasn't smudged, that my hair was straight and my clothes on correctly.

I was also wearing my silver necklace with the Helm of Awe charm dangling on the end. It was a charm for protection, and I figured it was better than having nothing, seeing as I would be surrounded by vampires again.

After checking everything off I ran down the stairs and out the door, yelling out a quick "I'll be back before you wake up in the morning mum!" before climbing back into my car and driving off to Fangtasia, once again a bit faster than I should have, but I wanted the night over as quickly as possible.

Pulling up in the parking lot, I inhaled deeply before, as gracefully as I could, exiting the car and walking up to the line that was queued to the front door.

Expecting to wait my turn, I was surprised when Pam beckoned me forward, and much to the dismay of the others in the line, I walked up to the front and was let in through the door with a sly smile from the blond female vampire. I felt almost like a movie star, being allowed to cut lines and get into staff only places.

When I walked into the bar, it was full of humans and vampires like the night before, but there was less people, and I made a hazard guess that in the next few hours many others would arrive.

My eyes scanned the crowd until they landed upon Eric Northman, who was lounging on his throne, a bored expression on his face as he lazily watched the female human stripper dance on the pole directly in his line of vision.

A moment after my eyes were on him, the blond vampire glanced up to meet my eyes, and I saw a devious smile appear on his face before he beckoned me with a 'come here' motion with his right hand.

Striding forward with purpose in my step, I walked up the few steps and stood slightly to the side, so I wasn't directly in front of the dancing stripper.

"Vera Corvonic, please sit." He smiled, showing his fangs.

I sat down in one of the chairs off to the side.

* * *

**Please tell me what you thought of this chapter, any ideas you may have for the storyline and if there is anything that you would like me to add/change! :)**


	3. A Job Offer

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or plot from Southern Vampire Mysteries or HBO True Blood, I only own my own character Vera Corvonic and the plot that I made up.**

**Thank you to JamesNorthman96 for reviewing my last chapter, and yes, that is one of the reasons why I chose her to originate from there, as for being half faery, I've got a little surprise up my sleeve for that, but it will only be clear much later on ;)**

**I had lots of fun writing this chapter, especially Eric and Pam, and I hope you like it too!**

* * *

"About last night," he said softly, blue eyes glued to my own green eyes, but I quickly intervened.

"Look Mr. Northman-"

"Eric," he corrected.

I fought back the urge to roll my eyes. "_Eric_. I have absolutely no idea what happened last night, nor do I want to find out, and I am perfectly content with the way that I am now."

"As am I," he said deviously, the corners of his mouth lifting up slightly in a smirk.

Raising a single eyebrow, I stared at him silently. Was he trying to trick me into saying something? Knowing him, he was most likely doing that very thing.

Letting down my mental barrier, the minds of everyone in the bar rushed at me with their thoughts, which were still all about sex.

However, I received nothing from Eric. He was like a hole in my radar, so I could sense where he was, but not what he was thinking. There was also many other holes, which I suspected two of them must be Pam and the vampire bartender.

Amazed at my discovery, I sat back in my chair, a wide smile on my face. "I can't hear him," I murmured softly to myself, forgetting in the moment that he was a vampire with superhuman hearing.

If I couldn't read his mind, or any other vampires, then it meant I didn't have to keep up my mental barrier all the time, which was taxing on my energy, and I was always exhausted at the end of the day because of it.

I could fully relax around them (well, mentally at least, they were still vampires) and be myself, without hearing others' thoughts and what they were thinking about me.

Now that would be heaven.

"Hear who?"

Broken out of my thoughts, I blushed and looked at my hands. How could I have forgotten that he could hear everything I said?

"Um, no one, just thinking to myself," I mumbled, hoping he would drop the subject. There was no way in hell I'd let a vampire, especially one such as Eric Northman, know I could read minds of everyone except for vampires. I couldn't see a single positive idea about it.

"I would like to know your thoughts." Glancing up, I saw that his full attention was on me, hands clasped underneath his chin once more, his fangs retracted.

I shook my head. "It's nothing important." I hoped that hardening my voice and staring cogently at him would make him understand that I didn't want to talk about it. He seemed to take the hint, but I knew that he would try and find out later.

Our conversation was interrupted when a women dressed all in black leather appeared, a bright smile on her face, phone in hand, and another woman (a friend?) standing next to her, their eyes fixated on Eric. They looked to be my age.

"Can we take a photo of you?" The girl holding the phone excitedly asked.

Eric bowed his head and extended his fangs, smiling slyly at the phone as the woman took a picture.

"OMG thank you!" She squealed, but her moment of happiness was squished when the bartender suddenly appeared, grabbed the phone out of the woman's hand and crushed it into dust.

"What?" The woman looked confused.

Eric retracted his fangs and sighed dully, as if he would rather be doing anything else at that moment, and I knew that to be true. "I said you could take a photo of me, not that you could keep it."

I watched as the woman stared at Eric in horror, tears staring to leak from her eyes before she had her friend ran off.

The vampire bartender smiled as they left, nodded at Eric and disappeared to serve drinks again.

Frowning, I turned back to the blond vampire. "That wasn't a very nice thing to do."

"I do not permit people taking pictures in my bar," he said sullenly.

Not agreeing his ways of enforcing his rule, I stayed silent. I knew that he could turn deadly in a second without any provocation, I had experienced it the night before.

We sat silently for a few minutes, both staring at each other, before I started to get up from my seat.

"Where are you going?" Eric queried.

I glanced at him, "getting a drink."

He shook his head, smiling. "I'll have Pam get you a drink, on the house."

A few seconds later, as if she had been called, Pam appeared, looking bored as usual. "Yes?"

"Get a drink for Miss Corvonic here," he said.

Pam looked at me, "anything you specifically want?"

I shook my head. "Surprise me."

She smiled widely at me before disappearing in a way only vampires can. I heard Eric laughing silently to himself, and glanced at him. "What's so funny?" I asked, frowning.

"You shouldn't have said that to Pam, she loves to surprise people, and now that you've given her permission…" he trailed his words off, spreading his hands and smiling.

I mentally face palmed. It just had to be me that got caught up in vampires that went over-the-top in everyday things. Just my luck.

"Here you go, one Vermont White Vodka for the lucky woman." Pam handed me a glass filled with a creamy liquid. I hesitantly sniffed it.

"What is it made of?" I asked, wanting to know the contents before I tasted it.

She smiled at me again. "Try it first."

Raising an eyebrow, I glanced at Eric, who seemed to be enjoying himself, and took a deep breath before slowly lifting the glass up to my mouth and taking a sip.

I was surprised at the taste, which wasn't as bad or as horrible as I feared. In fact, it tasted quite delicious. I took another sip.

"Okay, I've tasted it, it is surprisingly delicious, now what is it made of?"

Eric laughed again, and Pam responded enthusiastically to my question. "Pure milk, sugar, spring water and vodka."

I stared at her. "Seriously?"

She half-shrugged. "You said you wanted me to surprise me."

Sighing softly, I grinned at myself. Yes, I had had that coming the moment I said those words, but I quite liked the surprise drink, and took another sip.

The blond vampire dismissed Pam, and she took off to do who-knows-what, and I looked around the bar once more.

During our conversation, most of the tourists had left, and there were more vampires and humans, doing things and (as I let my mental barrier down for a few seconds again) thinking about things that I did not want to know about.

Suddenly looking at Eric, remembering the night before, I hesitated for a moment. "You know last night, when that vampire attacked me, you asked him what the most important rule was in your bar, and he said it was not to harm or feed off of humans?"

He nodded.

"Was that just for show?"

Lounging on his throne, he sighed softly. "It is one of the very few rules we have here."

I blinked. "Oh. So no one ever feeds from a human in here?"

The sly smile appeared. "I never said that. Only vampires looking to have fun have to follow that rule."

"So you and Pam and the other vampire-"

"Longshadow."

"Um, yea, Longshadow. You are the only three vampires that have fed on humans in here?"

He nodded. "At some point we have."

I took another sip of my drink.

"Why do you ask?" Eric queried.

I shrugged. "Just curious."

He grinned, showing his fangs, and I just knew what he was thinking without reading his mind, but before we speak any further a woman with slightly curled brown hair and wearing very limited black leather clothing appeared, practically crawling on her hands and knees toward Eric.

I stared, shocked and dumbfounded at the woman. What was she doing?

"Please, I offer my blood and myself to you, if you would like to take it."

I felt like one of those cartoon characters where their bottom jaw drops to the ground, and I glanced at Eric, who still had the bored look on his face, but was also mixed with a hint of disgust.

She was offering her body and blood to him, just like a blood whore would. I had heard of them before, but never thought I'd come face-to-face with one. It was almost pitiful, watching her beg like that.

Eric was silent for a few moments, before he waved her away, effectively dismissing her with a single motion, without the use of words.

The woman looked hurt, and she quickly scrambled to her feet before striding off. I let down my mental barrier to look in her thoughts, and found out that her name was Maudette Pickens, and that she was going to find another vampire bar in the hopes of-. I quickly put it back up and shuddered, not wanting to know the rest of that thought.

"Is this the type of woman or men that you usually feed on?" I asked.

"No, Pam brings me one every now and then, but sometimes I do accept their offer, however, most are blood whores and too pitiful for my liking."

I nodded at his reasonable answer. It made sense to me.

Looking down at my sleeve, I pulled it back to look at my watch, shocked that it was already almost twelve am. I had been at the bar for three hours! It felt like much less.

"It's getting late, I should probably head home."

Eric nodded. "I'll walk you out?"

I laughed softly, shaking my head. "No, I'm fine, I can look after myself."

He stood up and offered his hand, just like a true gentleman would. "I insist."

Blushing, I demurely took his hand with my own and allowed him to help me to my feet, before he put his arm around my waist (against my wishes, I tried to wriggle out of the embrace but it was like trying to push against a brick wall) and walked me out of the bar.

I could feel the stares of humans and vampires alike on us, and focused on my feet as we walked, but Eric didn't seem to mind the attention. He _was_ ogled at all night, so I guessed he was used to it.

As we passed Pam I saw a smug smirk on her face, and fought the urge to stick my tongue out at her.

I led him to my car, which was spotlessly clean, I guess my mother had washed it this morning while I had been sleeping. I silently thanked her for doing so.

Glancing at Eric, I saw him raise an eyebrow, the corners of his lips lifting up, and grinned. He was a man that appreciated cars, and I liked that.

"I wasn't aware you owned such a car," he said.

I shrugged. "My mother bought it for me for my twenty first birthday."

"She must love you very much then, Vera." His voice had gone soft, much different to its usual cocky and proud tone.

"I'm all she has left," I replied, thinking of my father, who had died when I was sixteen. I still missed him and his loving words, the gifts he always gave me, especially the silver ring that was currently on the index finger of my right hand. I never took it off.

Breaking out of my thoughts, I hesitantly tugged at Eric's embrace, and he let me go, his smug look returning.

"Come tomorrow night, please, I enjoy being in your company."

I sucked in a breath through my teeth. With all the driving I was doing my car was beginning to run low on gas. "If I keep this up I won't be able to pay for the gas," I said, more to myself as I unlocked the door.

"I can offer you a job here at Fangtasia if you wish."

Turning around, I stared dubiously at Eric. Did he just say he would hire me as an employee? To work for him? Well, I had no job, and it would bring in some extra cash…

"What would I have to do?" I asked warily.

He half-shrugged again. "Let customers in through the front door when Pam disappears, serve drinks with Longshadow, file paperwork when I'm busy. Odd jobs around the place."

I bit my bottom lip. "I'll think about it, Eric."

Suddenly, he leaned forward a softly kissed my cheek, and I stood stiffly, unsure of how to react. As he pulled back he grinned at me, his long-ish blond hair framing his face, making him look like an angel, well, one that worked for the devil. Huh, that oddly made sense.

"I'll be waiting for you," and with that, he sped back inside using his vampire speed, leaving me standing by my car, dumfounded and wondering what just happened.

He had kissed me (me!) on the cheek, and said that he liked being with me, but I didn't trust him, especially after what I had gone through with Jake. Men just couldn't be trusted. Ever.

Backing out of the car park, I drove home, this time at a more respectable speed, pondering my recent conversation with Eric, and partly with Pam. They didn't seem as bad as others portrayed them (I was still extremely unsure about Eric's intentions), and I felt that if I accepted his job offer, I could get to know them better as people, and maybe in the far future as friends.

Then there was also the matter of getting all of my stuff from Jake's apartment. I sighed, making the decision to go there in the afternoon, but first, I needed to get home and sleep.

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**Please review and let me know your thoughts about this chapter, it really motivates me to keep writing!**


	4. Bad Memories & Contracts

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or plot from Southern Vampire Mysteries or HBO True Blood, I only own my own character Vera Corvonic and the plot that I made up.**

**Thank you to everyone for reviewing! It means a lot to me to know what others think of my writing. A special thanks to Ambroisie-Seduisante for giving me lots to think about in how I write my story, thank you!**

**So now we're up to the chapter where Vera confronts Jake and gets all of her stuff back, should be fun ;)**

* * *

After loading the last empty box into the back seat of my my, I hesitated. Going back to my – no, _Jake's_ apartment, meant that I could come face-to-face with him again, and that wasn't something I was planning to happen. He choosing that vampire over me was bad enough, and I did not want to see his face ever again, but it was either that or never get my stuff back. I chose the former option.

I drove slowly to northern Shreveport, wanting to take as long as possible so I would have a less likely chance of meeting him. He often didn't leave the house before two pm, and right now it was one fifteen pm.

It only took thirty minutes to drive all the way to his apartment, and grabbing some of the boxes and dragging my feet, I walked into the building and unlocked the front door with my own set of keys, hoping with all my heart that he wasn't inside.

To my dismay, I saw him on the couch, beer bottle in hand, trash everywhere. Wrinkling my nose at the smell wafting out of the room, I attempted to sneak past him to my bedroom, but he suddenly opened his eyes and looked at me, a hopeful smile on his face.

"You came back?" He asked, desperation in his voice.

"To get my stuff," I said tartly, stiffly walking by the couch and walking into my room, which was untouched of how I had left it just over two days ago. There was a few spare clothes scattered on the floor, my bed was all un-made and the sheets all crumpled, all of my makeup (there wasn't much of it anyway) was set neatly on my drawer, but for the most part it was clean and tidy.

Sighing softly, I began to pack all of my clothes in the boxes I had carried inside, packing it down flat so I could fit as much as possible in them, before picking them up and walking past Jake, who was now sitting on the couch, still drinking beer, and outside where I set them carefully in the back seat of my car again.

Grabbing another two boxes, I made to walk past Jake again, but he reached out and grabbed my arm, to which I recoiled with a hiss. "Don't touch me!"

A hurt look crossed his face. "But Vera-"

"You have no right to talk to me! Especially after choosing that female vamp over me!"

Walking back into my room, tears starting to fall, I continued to pack the rest of my clothes and picture frames in them. I was so busy with the task at hand that I didn't hear Jake stumble into my room until he spoke with a heavy heart, as if I should be pitying him, instead of being angry at him.

"She left me for another…"

"Serves you right," I muttered, pushing past him to pack the boxes into the car. I could hear him try to follow me, but in his drunken stupor, he only managed to trip over his own feet and fall back onto the couch.

I repeated this process twice more, until I was carrying the last box which held all of my jewelry and bathroom necessities. Pausing as I reached the front door I set the box down on the floor and turned around. Jake was sitting on the couch again, looking up at me.

"Please," he whispered, "I made a mistake, I realize that now. I want you back."

I glared at him, anger coursing through me. He had nerve talking to me like that after he broke my heart into millions of pieces that I was afraid to pick back up and put together again, just so it could be broken once more. He had shattered my confidence in men, and it would be a long time before I trusted another man with my heart, if I would ever.

"You broke my heart, my trust in you, and my love for you meant nothing compared to the bite and body that a vampire could give you, and for what? Now she's gone, and you're trying to get back together with me again. Who do you think I am!?" My voice had started soft, but soon I was shouting at him. "We are through Jake!" With that, I pelted my set of keys at him before picking up the last box and hurrying down the steps to my car, quickly making sure the boot and doors were closed before tearing off at high speeds down the road, for the fourth time in two days.

* * *

Arriving home, with the help of my mother, all of my stuff was transported upstairs, and I sighed sadly as I looked at the boxes with all the stuff I had collected and bought while with Jake.

Sitting on the edge of my bed, I played with the shaggy edge of the blue and purple scarf he had gotten me for my previous birthday, before suddenly throwing it on the floor to the side. I wanted nothing to do with him anymore.

Going through all my possessions, I sifted through everything, and the items that reminded me of Jake in any way went into a pile by the door. Shirts, jewelry, hair/body products, pictures, gifts, you name it. All gone.

By the end of it, I was emotionally spent, and wanted to just sit on the end of my bed, doing nothing but trying to not think about him, but it was useless.

Burying my face in my hands, I cried and sobbed for what seemed eons, every memory I had once looked back upon with love, everything I had done for and with him, the times we spent together, even my love for him slowly drained out of me with each tear that rolled down my cheek, until I was left with nothing but an empty shell.

From that moment on, I told myself that I would never rush into a relationship again, and be sure of the man's intentions before anything happened. I didn't know if I could go through the pain of it again, but then again, most people did say the first time was the hardest. So far, I believed them.

Falling backwards onto my unkempt bed, I fell asleep almost instantly, my sleep filled with nightmares.

* * *

As if being shocked, I suddenly shot upwards into a sitting position, my heart racing a hundred kilometers an hour, my breathing coming in short gasps.

A few moments passed, and when nothing came out of the darkness to get me, I calmed myself down, looking sideways at the time before stifling a shriek.

It was eleven o'clock!

I couldn't believe I had slept for six hours. Six fucking hours!

Leaping out of bed I scrambled to find suitable clothes to wear to Fangtasia, all the while trying to be quiet so I wouldn't wake my mother up.

"Jag hatar livet så mycket just nu," **("I hate life so much right now,")** I grumbled to myself in Swedish as I rushed into the en suite to brush my hair so it ran in waves down my back (I would braid it when I got to Fangtasia) and washed my face, before putting on my mascara and limited makeup.

Quickly snatching up a pair of black boots, crop top, miniskirt, leggings and my favorite leather jacket, I put it all on in record time and practically flew down the stairs, keys in hand and through the front door.

Even though I drove recklessly, I still only arrived at Fangtasia at just before midnight.

Hurrying to the front door, I bypassed the few people standing in the line without even looking at them (they shouted insults at me which did not help my already irritated mood) and smiled thinly at Pam as she let me through the door.

Without even bothering to look around, I headed straight for Eric, who was once again lounging on his throne, the same bored expression on his face, which turned into one of interest as soon as he saw me heading towards him.

"Sorry I'm late," I mumbled, standing before him.

He shook his head, a smile playing on his lips. "You are here now."

"About that job offer…?" I asked uncertainly.

Eric stood up on his feet – and I only now realized how much taller he was than I was, just over half a foot I guessed – and guided me to his office once more, where as soon as he closed the door behind us I started to braid my hair with nimble fingers.

"It's still up if you want it," he said.

"Yes, I do," I replied, momentarily concentrating on my hair.

He was silent for a few moments.

"What are you doing?" Eric asked me, and I glanced up at him.

"Um, braiding my hair." _Duh_.

He raised an eyebrow as the corners of his lips twitched up in a smirk, and I had to fight back the urge to roll my eyes once again.

"Nu uh, there is no way I am braiding your hair buddy," I said as I tied the end of my hair to finish the braid, letting it rest on my shoulder.

He grinned slyly at me. "How did you know I was thinking that? You must've read my mind…"

Stunned, I took a step back, panic running through me, all previous thoughts of teasing and playfulness gone. How did he know I could read minds? I had given no indication that I could. Well, except for the night before when I had accidently voiced my thoughts, but there was no way he could have pieced together anything from that.

"I-I didn't. It was a lucky guess." My voice had become higher pitched as I spoke again, and I averted my eyes to the side, which was most likely a bad idea considering I was in a room with a very temperamental vampire.

Suddenly he was right in my face, one of his hands lifting my chin up so I was forced to stare directly into his eyes. "What's wrong Vera? Did I say something wrong, or are you hiding something from me?"

I swallowed nervously. "It's nothing, just a touchy subject for me."

His icy blue gaze hardened, and I swear I saw his eyes gleam in the light. "Tell me why you're so nervous." His voice had a commanding tone, but it was also soft, smooth, mesmerizing, like the other vampires' voice had been two nights ago.

I'm not sure whether it was because of the recent events with my ex-boyfriend, or because I was in a room with an incredibly sexy vampire, or even both, but I suddenly felt very snappish. "I'm so nervous because I'm in a room all alone with you, unable to defend myself. What do you think Eric Northman?" I snapped sarcastically.

He let go of me and stepped backwards, fascination alight in his eyes. "I can't glamour you."

"I-what?" I said, thoroughly confused, my anger momentarily forgotten.

"Glamouring," he stated, "it's when a vampire can wipe memories or make humans do anything they want them to."

Okay. I hadn't been expecting that, but it was nice to know I couldn't be glamoured. "Well isn't that just useful for you?" I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest.

"It is, actually," he said, his eyes still on me.

I stayed silent for about a minute, before I remembered why I had come back to Fangtasia in the first place. "The job offer?" I prompted, hoping to slide the subject to something less personal.

Eric seemed to snap out of his daze and grabbed a folder on his desk, which he handed to me, as well as a pen.

Taking the folder and pen, I sat down on the couch and read through everything, what I would be doing, who I was working for, and the small print, which was when I laughed softly to myself. "No, there's no way I'm agreeing to this Eric."

"Hmm?" He was suddenly sitting next to me, looking over my shoulder.

I read out a single line of the small print, "Eric Northman will not be held liable if anything bad happens to you, whether it be mortally wounded, physically or mentally scarred or even dead." I shook my head, staring at him determinedly. "I am only going to sign this contract if you _will_ be held liable for any of those things."

Eric grinned at me, showing fang, leaning back against the couch. "Alright, but on one condition."

"Shoot."

"You tell me the absolute truth about yourself-"

"You have to as well," I butted in, and he reluctantly nodded.

"And any other powers that you have aside from not able to be glamoured." His voice was firm, and I knew that nothing I said or did would change his mind.

I could just refuse and leave, never see him again, not worry about him knowing my deepest and darkest secret, one that my mother didn't even know about and have no job, which means I won't be able to pay for anything. Or agree to his conditions, get a well-paying job (the contract said I would be paid $180,000 a year, which was way more than my mother was paid) but have him know that I was telepathic.

Biting my bottom lip, I counted to ten in my head, and made a decision that I was sure would change my life forever.

"I accept your condition and job offer."

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**Please review and critique my work in any way you think you should, I always love to better my writing style using tips from other people :)**


	5. The Truth Comes Out

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or plot from Southern Vampire Mysteries or HBO True Blood, I only own my own character Vera Corvonic and the plot that I made up.**

**Thank you to everyone that reviewed, it really means a lot to me!**

**Also, I am extremely sorry for the lateness in this chapter! My laptop decided to stop working all of a sudden and I'm using my sisters' until I get it fixed/get another one, so I might not be able to upload as frequently.**

* * *

I signed the contract with a flourish and handed it back to Eric, who promptly placed it in the top drawer of his desk, before turning to face me, leaning on the edge of his desk, arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his face.

I looked innocently up at him from my perched position on the couch, hands folded in my lap. "What?"

"Just… thinking."

"About what?"

"You are clearly more than human, and I know you are hiding something from me. I want to know why."

I shrugged, my eyes narrowing slightly. "Make me."

Eric was suddenly crouched in front of me, fangs extended, one hand underneath my chin, the other grasping my shoulder tightly, a predatory look on his face. I swallowed nervously. Goading him like that had been a very bad error on my part, but I hadn't been able to stop the words coming out of my mouth.

His face was mere inches from mine, and I could see every detail, from the arch of his eyebrows to the contours of his cheekbones. It was breathtaking, mesmerizing, even.

"I could easily force you to tell me, but seeing as now I am liable for anything that happens to you, I cannot do so," he said delicately. "However, you also have to tell me the truth concerning our condition of the contract when I ask of it, and right now I am."

I closed my eyes briefly, knowing that my choice to accept his condition would have given way to my current predicament eventually, but to actually tell him the secret I had been hiding from everyone for twenty two years was the hardest thing I have ever been faced with. My secret had been my own for so long, it almost felt like betrayal to tell another being.

Looking up into his icy blue eyes, I took a deep breath, clasping my hands together. "I am a… a telepath."

There, I said it. Now I was just waiting for my life to go downhill in a spiral of flames and destruction. Okay, maybe that was a bit extreme, but that's how I imagined it would happen in my head.

If I hadn't been so focused on his face, I would have missed the look of pure fascination and wonder that appeared for barely a second, before he let go of me and turned his back, staring at the far wall.

"Have you always had this ability?"

I massaged my shoulder where he had gripped me just a bit too hard, hey, I might even have another bruise to go with the fading one on my throat, and nodded at his query, even know he couldn't see me. "I was born with it."

"Do you know if any other family members have had it?"

"Not that I know of."

He slowly turned to face me, a look of fascination on his face. "Can you read my mind?"

"No, but I can feel your presence. It's like a black hole in my mind. I think it's because vampires don't give off brain waves, but so far I haven't met anyone that I haven't been able to read the minds of. There have been a few cases where I could only pick up emotions or pictures, but that's about it."

I saw Eric smile, one that did not seem at all genuine, and looked down at my hands, starting to regret my decision. Who knows what he would do to me, and make me do now that he knew what I could do.

Before anything else happened though, Pam opened the door and brought in a woman wearing very limited clothing and a dazed expression on her face.

"Here's your O negative human Eric." When she saw me her face brightened, and I fought back a grimace, quickly getting to my feet. Was he really going to feed off of her in here? Well, if he was, I was going to leave the room so I didn't have to witness it.

"Thank you Pam, you may leave now."

Pam left the room, and I glanced at Eric. "I think I'll leave too."

Just as I reached the door I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Wait. Give me your phone number so I can call you when your first shift will start." Or so you can order me to do your bidding I silently thought, scowling at the empty hallway, but after a second I paused to really think about what he had said.

Blushing, I hesitantly looked back at him. "Um, I don't have a phone."

He looked surprised. "I'll buy you one then. I can't have an employee that doesn't have a phone."

I didn't even bother to try and reject his offer, well, it was more a decision on his part. I sighed. "If you want."

His eyes met mine, and he smirked. "Yes, I do."

Rolling my eyes I walked out the door. "I'll be here tomorrow at eleven sharp."

Without even looking back or at anyone in the bar, I passed Pam and climbed into my car and drove home, a happy smile on my face.

I finally had a proper job. Before it was always filling in for other people, but now I no longer had to do that.

The feeling was awesome.

* * *

After deciding that I was satisfied with my clothes (denim jeans, black boots, plain white t-shirt and my favorite leather jacket) I put on my silver necklace with the Helm of Awe charm dangling from it, and made my way downstairs to peck my mother on the cheek.

"I'm gonna go to Merlotte's, you wanna come?"

She shook her head, smiling. "No, I have some gardening to do, but you have fun okay? And stay safe min vackra blomma kronblad." **("And stay safe my beautiful flower petal.")**

"You know I will."

Climbing into my car, I reversed out of the driveway and made my way to Merlotte's, hoping to meet Sookie there. She was very nice, a little outgoing, but I thought of her as a friend. There was also something different about her, and I wanted to know why.

Walking through the front door I sat down in the same stool I had yesterday, and waited patiently to be served, which wasn't that much of a wait to be honest.

Arlene appeared within seconds, a bright smile on her face, notepad in hand and pencil raised. "What would you like Vera?"

I smiled back. "Just a lemonade, please."

She quickly grabbed a glass, poured lemonade from a jug out of the fridge into it and handed the glass to me, which I accepted with a smile and murmured thanks.

Just as she began to ask me something, a man hollered from the other side of the bar for another beer, and she sighed before looking apologetically at me and hurrying off to comply with his demand.

Sipping my drink, I turned on my stool and leaned against the bar, surveying the rest of the people and what they were doing. A couple in the far corner where having a heated, but silent argument; two booths away two children were throwing chips at each other, much to their parents annoyance; the booth closest to me was filled with men drinking and yelling loudly to each other. There were also a few people sitting by themselves, just as I was.

"Would you like a refill?"

I started, not realizing there was someone behind me, and spun on my stool to face Sookie, a sheepish look on my face, nodding. "Yes please."

"So what brings you to Merlotte's today Vera?"

I shrugged. "Just wanted to hang out in a semi-quiet place that wasn't home."

She nodded understandingly, handing me my re-filled drink. "I sometimes feel like doing that too, but as I work here it isn't quite the same."

"Well then, you wouldn't oppose to going to say, a park, after your shift is finished?" I asked hesitantly.

Sookie brightened considerably. "I'd love to! I only have one hour left, but maybe I can convince Sam to let me off early."

"No, I can wait an hour, it'll give me time to get to know some of the people you work with."

"If you say so!" She hurried off to show a couple to one of the booths and take their order, with that same bright smile on her face. I shook my head incredulously. How she kept it up for hours on end amazed me.

"Hey there."

I looked up to see Sam standing on the other side of the bar, a cloth over one shoulder and empty glass in one hand, which he filled with beer before placing it on the counter. Dawn quickly appeared and with a smile, picked up the glass of beer and walked off with it to one of the booths.

"Sam," I beamed. "How are you?"

"Busy with bartending and running the place, but I'm also enjoying myself. It's quite rewarding knowing that you can provide something that others appreciate. In this case beer and food."

I laughed. "I can see that."

"And you?"

"Still getting to know people here in Bon Temps. It's a nice change from being cooped up in an apartment all day."

"I know how that feels, you just wanna get out and blow off some steam in any way you can."

"Yes, exactly that." I grinned at him, and he returned it.

Our conversation was cut short when Dawn appeared again, giving him a slip of paper with drinks to prepare, which he busied himself with doing so.

"So Vera," Dawn said, sitting next to me. "You never told me what Sweden was like."

"Well, there's lots of mountains to the west, but it's very flat and foresty to the north. It's fairly temperate, but some winters can get very cold and wet."

Her mouth lifted up into a grin. "I would love to go there someday."

"You should, it is a very beautiful place to live in."

"Here you go Dawn," Sam said, placing all of the drinks down upon a silver platter and handing it to her, which she promptly carried to the booth filled with the already-drunk men. I wrinkled my nose; hadn't they already had enough to drink?

The rest of the hour went by smoothly. I chatted with Sam, Arlene, Sookie and Dawn when they had spare moments, but mostly just observed everyone else, occasionally letting down my mental barrier to listen on people's thoughts.

I found out that practically everyone Bon Temps thought Sookie was crazy and psychic because she knew about things that she shouldn't, but other than that it was just stray thoughts here and there about random things going on in peoples' lives.

"Okay, I'll be back in two minutes Vera, you stay right there!" Sookie said as she bounded off to go change out of her work attire.

Drinking the last of my lemonade, I searched in my purse for another ten dollar note, which I placed next to the empty glass, and waited for her to return.

Waving goodbye to Sam and the two waitresses, Sookie and I left the bar, heading towards my car. I saw her eyes widen at the sight of it, and chuckled to myself. "I know, I know, it's a flashy car. My mother bought it for me last year."

She grinned at me and hopped in the passenger side, and I in the driver's seat. "It's amazing."

We drove to a park nearby that had a few people and dogs running around, and I let my mental barrier down, sighing softly in relief. It was like letting my arm hang limply next to my side after having held it above my head for hours.

Exiting the car, we walked along a winding path that cut through the middle of the park until we reached a bench where we sat down.

"So how long were you with your ex-boyfriend?" Sookie asked innocently, and I fiddled with the collar of my leather jacket, frowning.

"Well, he left me for a vampire, and two days afterwards when I went to pick up my stuff, he said she left him, and he wanted to get back together with me. It was degrading to find out that I was his fallback when his first choice left him." That selfish, loath full idiot I thought bitterly to myself. How could I have been such a fool to not realize the signs?

"How could he do that to you!?" Sookie exclaimed, outraged, and I mentally agreed, all the while folding my collar down, unknowingly exposing my neck and the bruises upon it. They had become dark purple now, starting to become more yellow as they healed, and were easily seen against my pale complexion.

I saw Sookie's gaze turn into one of horror as she covered her mouth with one hand. "Did he do that to you?" She asked, horrified.

I shook my head, mentally face palming. I had forgotten about them, and now I had to explain how I had received them, as it didn't feel right to lie to her.

"No, it wasn't him."

"Who was it then?"

My mind wandered to when the vampire had grabbed my neck when I angered him, before I blasted him away with my mystical powers that I haven't even thought about since then.

Just as I opened my mouth to explain to her what had happened, she clenched a fist, anger shown on her face. "That vampire should've kept his hands to himself, I can't believe he did that to you."

I stared at her, thoroughly confused. I hadn't said anything about the vampire, in fact, I had just started to say it.

Sookie immediately realized what she had done, and looked sheepishly at me.

"I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have invaded your privacy like that."

"What?" Did she just read my thoughts? It sure seemed like she had.

Sookie nodded. "I should have told you beforehand, it just slipped my mind. Everyone in Bon Temps knows about it, even though they don't fully understand or accept it.

"You… you're telepathic?" I asked, dumbfounded. I had never met another telepath before, and I couldn't believe it. It was fate!

"Yes, I am. And I have a tendency to accidently read others' thoughts when I'm feeling emotional or get distracted."

I grinned at her. "I'm telepathic too!"

"Wow! Really?" She grinned back at me, her eyes alight with fascination. "I've never met another before."

"Neither have I."

"Say, you wanna try and communicate telepathically?"

"Why not?" I said, focusing on her mind.

_"__That dog over there looks like the collie that lives near Merlotte's,"_ Sookie said mentally, and I followed her gaze.

_"__Is it friendly?"_

_"__Yes, but he's also a stray. I've tried to find out where he came from, but I guess he just wandered here randomly."_

_"__Have you had a dog before?"_

_"__No, but I have a cat called Tina."_

_"__Oh really? I didn't see her when we had dinner."_

_"__I think she was out hunting or something. She usually is."_

We both turned to look at each other simultaneously, wide grins on our faces. It was strange, having a conversation without talking, but I knew it could come in handy when surrounded by other people.

"Hey Sookie? When would be a good time for my mother and I to come over for dinner?" I asked suddenly.

"Hmm, I don't think we're doing anything in three days, is that good for you?"

"Should be, we don't do much outside of home anyway."

She looked down at her watch. "Well, I've had fun spending time with you today, especially the telepathic communication part, but I have to head home early today. Grandma needs to prepare for the upcoming Descendants of the Glorious Dead meeting in two weeks time."

I raised my eyebrows. "Descendants of the Glorious Dead?"

Sookie shrugged. "It's where the older people of Bon Temps talk about the civil war and other previous historic times like that."

"Sounds interesting, am I invited?"

"Of course you are!" She said, grinning, and I returned it with as much enthusiasm.

"It's settled then."

With that, we stood up and made our way back to my car, where I drove back to Merlotte's to drop her off as she had driven to work in her own car. It was small, yellow and old, but beautiful in its own way.

Waving goodbye, I drove back to my own house, stopping once to fill up on gas as it was very low from my continuous driving to and back from Shreveport.

* * *

"I would absolutely love to meet Sookie and her grandmother!" My mother said enthusiastically as I told her about the plans Sookie and I had made.

"Yes, they're interesting people, and very welcoming too."

"That's good to hear."

I looked at the clock, it was nine forty five; time to get ready.

Sighing, I got up from my chair and headed upstairs to change into the clothes I would wear to my first day (I should really say night) of work. Searching through my closet, I grabbed the same outfit I wore the night before and quickly braided my hair before finishing up and making sure my mascara wasn't smudged.

On my way out the door I called out to my mother, "See you tomorrow mum!" and locked the door behind me.

* * *

I arrived at Fangtasia a few minutes before eleven. This time I'd be on time.

There was no one lining up outside, and no one at the door, so I assumed it wasn't a busy night. Oh how wrong I was.

Unlike the previous nights, there seemed to be twice as many people milling around, serving drinks, dancing, ogling at others, but I walked straight past them and to Eric's office where I hoped he'd be.

Lucky for me he was in his office, and chatting (it sounded more like arguing, yay) with Pam.

"Hur många gånger måste jag säga er att fråga mig innan du använda mitt kreditkort för att köpa allt ditt onyttigt skit!?" **("How many times do I have to tell you to ask me before you use my credit card to buy all of your useless shit!?")** He roared.

"Jag är ledsen mister högt och levt mäktig, men du var upptagen och jag trodde inte du skulle hand." **("Well I'm sorry mister high and mighty, but you were busy and I didn't think you would care.")**

"Jag bryr mig Pam!" **("Well I do care Pam!")**

Just as I reached the door it suddenly opened and Pam came storming out, anger written all over her pale face. "You might want to watch yourself around Eric, he's ready to blow up at anything," she growled out, storming past me.

I watched her go before slowly walking into the office, taking Pam's words to heart. I hesitantly looked at Eric, who had a look of pure rage on his face, and was clenching his fists tightly.

"I'm here for my shift," I said softly, not looking into his eyes and fiddling with the cuff of my jacket.

"About time!" He snapped, and I cringed, knowing to keep my mouth shut and not argue with him like Pam had done. I wasn't as unbreakable as she was.

"Go help Longshadow serve drinks." With that he abruptly sat down on his desk chair, hands covering his face, effectively dismissing me.

Backing out of the room, I gently closed the door and breathed out a sigh of relief. I'd never seen Eric so mad before, and I was glad he hadn't taken it out on me, though he did look as if he would have at any second.

I heard the tearing of paper, a frustrated scream and a loud thud, and immediately stepped back from the door. Yep, I was so glad I hadn't riled him up, or that could have been me.

I quickly made my way to the bar and slipped behind the counter, placing my purse on one of the lower shelves where hopefully it wouldn't be stolen.

"You must be Eric's new servant, hmm?" A voice said behind me, and I whipped around to find Longshadow leering at me, fangs extended as usual. I wondered if he ever put them away while at Fangtasia.

I narrowed my eyes. "I am not a servant."

He chuckled, "everyone who works for Eric is. You'll learn quickly to do what he says and not to question it, girly."

I scowled but didn't say anything in response.

"He said to help you serve drinks."

Longshadow barked out a laugh. "Help me? I think it was more to get you out of his sight, I heard from Pam he was particularly irritated tonight."

I nodded, trying not to think about his argument and the reaction afterwards. It would be good for me to remember what he was capable of.

"Well, I'll teach you the basics and let you take over for a while."

And so he did.

I learned how to mix drinks without them fizzing or bubbling, to know which combinations of alcohol worked best, and to properly serve Tru Blood, even though hardly anyone asked for it.

Once his teaching was over for the night, the vampire bartender patted me on the head before swiftly walking into the crowd, leaving me to tend to the bar by myself.

Pushing a stray strand of hair out of my eyes, I sat down on the one stoll on my side of the bar, waiting for someone to order a drink.

It was quiet for a few minutes, (well, as quiet as it can get in a vampire bar) until a pale and tall lone figure walked up to the bar, sitting on the stool opposite me.

The man had black hair and brown eyes, and looked weary, as if he had travelled a long way.

"A bottle of O neg Tru Blood please," he said softly, and I sat still for a few moments, before realizing that I was the one to serve him his requested drink.

Hopping off the stool I grabbed a bottle of O negative out of the fridge and put it inside the microwave for thirty seconds. Upon taking it I shook it gently so it wouldn't be a mix of hot and cold, unscrewed the lid and placed it gently in front of the vampire. "There you go sir," I said with a smile and sat back on my stool.

I watched curiously as he took a sip, wondering what the synthetic blood tasted like.

The man stared at me quizzically and I quickly averted my eyes.

"May I ask for your name, miss?"

I blushed. "I'm Vera Corvonic." No one had ever been so gentleman-like to me before on a first encounter.

"Bill Compton," he replied. "Where is Longshadow?"

I guessed that all vampires knew each other in one way or another. Yay for me.

"He left me in charge of the bar, but I have no idea where he went," I said softly, glancing up at him once more.

Bill nodded and we sat quietly for a minute before he quickly excused himself, (once again, gentleman-like) saying that he had important business to do, taking the bottle of Tru Blood with him. I watched him leave.

The next few hours passed by smoothly with no interruptions: I served drinks, people danced, and everyone looked like they were having a good time, well, I assumed everyone except for Eric, who I hadn't seen once since our first conversation earlier that night.

Oh well, it wasn't my job to keep him happy, he could suffer all he wanted and I wouldn't attempt to appease him. That was Pam's job. My job was to steer clear of Eric's wrath and do what he said and when he said without complaint.

Joyful.

* * *

**So what did you all think of this chapter? Please tell me your opinions, comments, ideas, parts you dis/liked, constructive criticism, etc. I need to hear them! :)**


	6. Troubling Times

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or plot from Southern Vampire Mysteries or HBO True Blood, I only own my own character Vera Corvonic and the plot that I made up.**

**Thank you for reviewing my last chapter! I hope you enjoy this one as much as the others ;)**

* * *

At almost four in the morning Pam appeared beside me, a sullen expression on her face. "Eric would like to see you."

She disappeared just as quickly.

Stifling a yawn, I grabbed my purse and made my way through the few people that were still left. They were crazy, partying until almost dawn. I could barely keep my eyes open, and I'd been sitting down almost the whole time!

Hesitantly standing in front of Eric's office, I slowly opened the door and peeked into the room.

It was a mess. There was a hole in the far wall, what looked like to be a fallen-over pile of paper on the floor, chunks that seemed to be gouged out of the desk, and upon glancing at Eric, he looked just as bad as the furniture. His hair was all tangled and I swear I could see rips and tears in his clothes.

He was perched on the edge of the couch (which was surprisingly still intact) and had his face in his hands.

I took a wild guess that he wasn't having the best night.

"You called?" I said in a soft voice, treating him like a wild animal that had escaped captivity.

Eric lifted his head up, all traces of any smugness or egocentricity gone. His face was a mix of anger and desperation, and I made a calculated decision to stay as far away from him until his current mood was replaced by a happier and less kill-everything-in-sight Eric.

"Your shift is over," he said curtly, springing to his feet and walking over to the partly-destroyed desk.

I felt relieved. My eyes were starting to hurt from all the flashy lights, and I was about to fall asleep on my feet, which was not good as I still had to drive home.

"Here's your phone. It has all the contacts you need as well as your timetable."

He handed me the phone (which was white and thin) and I carefully took it from his outstretched hand. "Thank you."

Eric shook his head, growling softly. "Don't thank me."

I put the phone in my purse and glanced at the door, wondering if I should ask if I was allowed to leave. Luckily, I didn't need to.

"You may leave, and don't be late tomorrow. Or else."

I gulped and hurriedly nodded, knowing exactly what could happen to me if I didn't do what he wanted.

I quickly left his office and the almost empty bar, hopped in my car and drove home.

* * *

The next two days passed by smoothly, well, as smoothly as possible with an easily angered Eric around. I stayed away from him as much as possible, serving drinks and carding people when needed, and only went into his office when I was called, which was slowly becoming more and more destroyed as he let his anger out on the furniture.

It was frightening hearing the crashing and breaking of things coming from his office, and I dreaded every moment I had to be near him in his current foul mood. I never knew when he would suddenly snap at me or throw something at the wall. The only good thing was that he never physically hurt me.

Although right now I wasn't so sure that one good thing would last. Asking him for a night off during his midlife crisis was a really bad idea, but it was either that or I don't show up for work, because there was no way I was going to miss the night with my mother, Sookie and her grandmother, especially seeing as I knew my mother would talk for hours without pause.

Peeking my head around the door to Eric's office, I coughed softly to announce my presence, even though he most likely already knew I was there.

Eric lifted his head up from his desk and stared at me, exasperated. "What?" He hissed. I cringed, knowing that the next few moments were not going to go very well.

Gently entering the room, I closed the door softly behind me and stared at Eric, rubbing my hands together and biting my lip.

"Um, I just wanted to ask if… if you would let me take tomorrow night off?" My words sounded more like a question than a statement, which was what I had been going for, but I was always on my toes around Eric now. That, and I was also just a little bit frightened of him.

He stared at me before speaking in a firm voice. "No."

I tried not to let my slight annoyance show at his answer. "Is there anything I can do to change your mind?"

"Maybe. What do you have in mind?" He leaned backwards in his chair, arms crossed over his chest.

I looked around his office. "I can repair your office?"

"And?"

And?! What more did I have to do? His office was brutally destroyed; almost everything would have to be replaced!

Sighing angrily, I ground my teeth and looked down at my feet. "I'll let you call on me any time you need," I muttered.

"Very well then. You may go bartend with Longshadow now."

I swear when I glanced at him he was smirking at me, but I quickly turned around and opened the door, only to become face-to-face with Pam, who, as I stood to the side to let through, had a woman with slightly curled brown hair by the arm.

Our eyes met and I frowned. The woman (now Eric's 'chew toy', as I called all the people he fed from) looked so much like Dawn, and it could have been her, but the clothes threw me off. The woman gave no sign that she knew me, and so I mentally shrugged. There were many brunettes around; maybe she just looked very similar to Dawn.

Slipping out of his office without a backwards glance, I sat on my stool (I referred to it as mine only because I was the only one that sat on it) and lazily watched Longshadow serve drinks to humans and vampires. Well, at least until he suddenly turned around to face me, a fangy smirk on his face. "Are you just going to sit there or what? Help me!" He teased.

Our relationship had turned from him watching me like a hawk and berating my every move to one where he would constantly tease me.

I scowled at him but did as he asked, mixing drinks for the already drunk humans dancing and doing what-not to the music. I tried not to stare at them.

When things seemed to die down for a bit concerning the ordering of drinks, I turned to Longshadow, leaning against the wall while sitting on my stool. "Am I allowed to ask why Eric is in such a foul mood and taking it out on his office?"

"That's not all he's taking it out on," he grumbled, glaring at the wall.

I stared at him curiously, prompting the bartender to go on with my hands. He sighed.

"The Queen wants money from Eric's business, and he can do nothing but accept, but she's asking for a lot, and as you can see, that's not going too well. He's also having to lower our paychecks and sell some things."

I wolf whistled. No wonder he was acting like a deranged animal.

There was one thing that I didn't fully understand though…

"There's a Queen?"

Longshadow chuckled. "I keep forgetting you know so little. She runs all of Louisiana, and has been for the past century, but at the moment she is having a money crisis and is taking cash from others."

I frowned. "How does one go from being an all mighty Queen to mooching money from others?"

He shook his head, splaying his hands. "I don't follow politics, but if you really want to know go ask Eric."

I made a face. "No way. He's like a firework, ready to blow up at anything. And anyway, he's er… busy, at the moment."

I heard Longshadow laugh and glared at him, narrowing my eyes. He got the message and quickly shut up, but still had a smirk on his face.

The rest of the night passed swiftly and before I knew it, it was four in the morning and time for me to go home.

I didn't even bother to go to Eric's office and tell him I was leaving, he would already know, and then there was also the fact that the brown-haired woman was still with him. I'd rather not take the chance and walk in on something I didn't want to see.

Instead, I decided to just walk out and say goodbye to Pam on the way. She still looked annoyed as hell.

* * *

"You ready to go min vackra blomma kronblad?" **("You ready to go my beautiful flower petal?")** My mother asked from downstairs. "It's already eight."

"Almost!" I responded, quickly checking myself in the mirror to make sure everything was perfect.

Locking the door behind us, I drove to Sookie's house with a large smile on my face.

When we arrived I introduced them to my mother with lots of hugs and smiles. Upon entering the house I smelled the mouthwatering aroma of roast lamb, mashed potatoes and a Caesar salad.

"Oh, you didn't have to prepare all of this for us Adele," my mother said, shaking her head but still smiling.

"Nonsense, you deserve the best meal I can make!" Sookie's grandmother chirped in response.

I laughed softly to myself as I followed Sookie into the kitchen, leaving the two older woman to converse among themselves as we set up the plates and cutlery.

"So how have you been faring these past couple of days Vera? I haven't seen you at all," Sookie said, turning to me expectantly.

Attempting to feign nonchalance, I shrugged casually. "I've just been a bit busy with things."

"Too busy to pop in at Merlotte's and say 'hi'?" She grinned playfully at me, and I relaxed, now knowing that she had only been joking and not serious.

"Ah, you got me there," I teased, grinning back. "Will it make you feel better if I promise to see you at Merlotte's tomorrow?"

"Yes, very much so."

At that point Sookie's grandmother and my own mother walked into the kitchen and we all sat down at the table, holding hands as Sookie said a prayer, before digging into the food.

It was absolutely delicious, just like the last time I had eaten at Sookies'. Her grandmother's food was like a slice of heaven on a plate.

We were mostly silent as we ate, with just a bit of small talk here and there. When we finished Sookie stood up to take everyone's plates and cutlery, and I quickly followed suite, waving away her words of assurance that she was fine. I wanted to help anyways.

The night was much more peaceful than when I was at work, just standing there and drying the dishes, rather than serving drinks to humans underneath bright lights and listening to loud music.

"Where do you work?" Sookie asked, seemingly out of the blue. I mentally face-palmed at my forgetfulness that she could also read minds.

"Uhm… at a bar," I said with a shrug, attempting to act casual.

"Oh really? Where?"

"At Shreveport."

"What type of bar is it?"

"The usual, I guess." I was trying to evade her questions, even though I wasn't sure why. I guess it was because I thought that she would look down on me for working for a vampire.

She stopped questioning me, but gave me a look that clearly said the conversation was not over.

Drying my own hands on the towel, I walked into the living room and leaned against the wall, listening to the two older woman converse.

"Aldine, I would be very pleased if you would accept my invite to come meet with me and a few others for the next Descendants of the Glorious Dead meeting."

"I would be honoured Adele."

"Wonderful!"

I grinned as Sookie stood next to me. "I guess you're gonna be stuck with me for some preparations for the meeting. My mother loves to help out whenever and wherever she can."

"That's fine with me, any help, especially from friends is appreciated."

I put a hand over my heart, fluttering my eyelashes at her. "You think of me as a friend? I'm flattered!"

We both burst out laughing.

* * *

I groaned as I silently rolled out of bed, rubbing my eyes and yawning. The original plan of dinner at Sookie's house had extended to helping her grandmother plan for the meeting that was being held the next week. We had all lost track of time (funny thing, this usually happened when my mother was involved) and before we knew it, the time read almost one am.

Now that's what I called dedication to a club.

Walking like a zombie to my en suite, I took one look at myself in the mirror and groaned again, before quickly deciding to have a shower. My hair would never be tamed otherwise.

Emerging from the shower clean and awake I dried my hair with the hair dryer, put on a basic tee, tights and my old sneakers and made my way downstairs.

My mother was nowhere in sight. I guessed that she was still sleeping, and I would be too if I hadn't promised Sookie I'd be at Merlotte's today.

I walked through the front doors and was bombarded by people and many delicious smells coming from the kitchen. Man, I was starving, and looking at the clock I realized why: it was past two in the afternoon and I hadn't eaten breakfast.

I sat down on one of the bar stools, and as if she had been called, Sookie suddenly appeared, looking her usual bouncy and enthusiastic self. I shook my head. How could she manage to look like that with less sleep than I had? And she was working!

Maybe I should make her tell me her secrets for looking and acting so good during troubled times.

"Vera!" She grinned at me, pen poised above her notepad. "The usual lemonade?"

I returned the grin. "Yes please, oh, and a cheeseburger with some fries."

"It'll be ready in just a few minutes," she said cheerily, darting off to give my order to the cook, who was the only person I hadn't actually met that worked at Merlotte's.

"Here you go."

I looked up to see Dawn smiling at me, with my glass of lemonade in front of me. I swear I could see a strong resemblance between her and the brunette that Eric 'chewed' on, but I wasn't one to investigate in other peoples' private business, and so I let it slide with a smile of my own.

"Thanks."

I watched as she quickly hurried off to serve other customers.

A few minutes later Sookie placed my meal in front of me. "One cheeseburger for you and one chip for me." She picked a stray chip from the side of the plate before I could stop her and popped into her mouth.

I mock glared at her as she grinned cheekily. "These chips are all mine Sookie… better watch your fingers next time," I warned, waving a chip in front of her face.

She stuck her tongue out at me before darting off to wait her tables.

I ate my cheeseburger (which was very delicious) in hurried mouthfuls, not bothering to savour the taste as I was starving. It had been, what, ten, maybe twelve hours since I last had a meal?

As I slowly at my chips, I glanced up and saw Sam emerging from the kitchen.

"Hey there," I said cheerfully.

"Right back at ya," Sam responded, pouring himself a glass of beer before sitting down opposite me with the bar between us. "I've been hearing rumours from people in Bon Temps that you've been hanging out with Sook. Is she really as crazy as everyone says?" He was grinning widely at me, and I laughed.

Oh yes, she truly was crazy in an awesome way.

I partly shrugged, grinning back at Sam. "She is crazy, but not as crazy as the rest of you who gossip over everything."

Sam barked out a laugh. "That is true, we are a crazy bunch out here."

I leaned forward, speaking in a half whisper. "So tell me; is it because the town is so small and everyone knows each other very well, or because everyone here is just very nosy?"

He pretended to think for a moment. "A bit of both, I think."

"That's good to know. Remind me to keep the windows shut and doors locked then."

"Will do." He saluted me. We both laughed.

"What's going on here you two love birds?"

I looked over Sam's shoulder to see a black man wearing mascara and what looked to be a balaclava striding over to us, spatula in hand.

"Lafayette," Sam warned, frowning slightly.

The man, _Lafayette_, waved a hand in the air, rolling his eyes. "You know I'm just joking Sam, but really, who is this good-looking chick you is hanging out with?"

"Lafayette, this is Vera Corvonic; Vera, Lafayette Reynolds."

I waved at Lafayette. "Hey." He waved back.

"Shouldn't you be in the kitchen cooking food for our customers?" Sam queried Lafayette, who put his hands on his hips and partially-glared at him.

"I can't because there is nothing to cook," he said, matter-of-factly.

"What?" Sam look astonished. "I swear I ordered a new batch of food that arrived yesterday."

"Maybe it failed to deliver?" I said hesitantly, and Sam nodded.

"Yes, that must be it. I'll go phone the company and find out what's going on."

He quickly stood up and strode away, presumably to his office. I turned to Lafayette.

"So…" I said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I heard from Jason that you and Sookie have been hanging out lately."

I groaned. "This town really does gossip about everything."

"That's right, and you better get used to it quick because anything you say is heard by everyone," he said, grinning at me.

"I'll keep that in mind," I mumbled into my hands.

"Lafayette! I need another cheeseburger!" One of the waitresses yelled out. He bid me goodbye and marched off, responding that the customers could either order something else or not eat at all in a loud voice.

I watched him leave before placing a twenty dollar note on my empty plate and walking out of Merlotte's, deciding to go back home. Maybe I'd help my mother with the garden. It was starting to get out of hand, and the work would be peaceful to do in the sunshine.

Yes, that sounded like a good idea.

* * *

**Please review and tell me what you think :)**


	7. Magic Charms

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or plot from Southern Vampire Mysteries or HBO True Blood, I only own my own character Vera Corvonic and the plot that I made up.**

**Thank you for reviewing my last chapter! It made writing this one that much more fun knowing you guys enjoy reading it :)**

* * *

"Do you want me to weed the roses and petunias mother?" I asked, pulling on rubber gloves.

"Don't forget the delphiniums!" She chirped cheerily at me, gardening trowel in hand.

I rolled my eyes good-naturedly as I bent down by the flowerbeds and began to pull out all the weeds. The last owners of the house hadn't tended to the garden very much, and it was only now that my mother decided to 'fix it up' as she put it, and being the good daughter that I was I said I'd help.

With the sun beating down upon my back, it wasn't long before sweat started to drip down my face and back, and sitting back on the grass, I paused to survey my work.

Apart from the weeds thrown together in a pile on the lawn, the front garden looked much better than it had before. The flowerbeds were much less crowded, and I could actually see the flowers that grew there. They were beautiful with all of their different colours, almost like a rainbow.

"Be a dear and go fetch the tray with the jug of lemonade on it Vera," my mother said as she stood up and wiped her forehead while also stretching her back.

I quickly hurried into the house (which wasn't much cooler than the outside) and carefully picked up the tray that held the lemonade jug and two glasses, carrying it outside and placing it down on the table that had been set up on the porch.

Filling up the two glasses to the brim, I handed one to my mother before gulping mine down. It was refreshing and deliciously sweet, just as she always made it.

"Alright, back to work," I said, more to myself as I bent down once more to finish the job that I started.

We worked until sundown before heading back inside where I excused myself to have a shower. I was covered in dirt and sweat, and I could feel my lower back and leg muscles cramping from being overworked.

While washing my hair I swear I heard the ringtone of my phone, but when I turned off the water for a few moments, I could hear nothing but the usual silence. Shrugging, I rinsed out my hair and washed the rest of me, taking almost twice as long as I usually did.

Finally finished, I stepped out of the shower and immediately dried my body and hair with one of the fluffy towels nearby and changing into underclothes.

Walking into my room I picked up my phone from my bed, unlocked it, and then groaned. I had one missed call, one voicemail and two texts, all from Eric, and all within thirty minutes of each other.

Great.

I opened the voicemail and held it gingerly to my ear, expecting to be met with yelling. However, it was not as bad as I feared.

_"Vera you were supposed to be at work half an hour ago! Where are you? And please, in the future keep your phone on you at all times. I don't care what you're doing, just have it in arms reach so this can be avoided in the future."_

I swore silently. I had forgotten that on Saturday's I was supposed to be at work an hour earlier.

I quickly opened the first text (which was sent almost directly after the voicemail).

_Vera pick up your phone now, I don't have time for this!_

Rolling my eyes at Eric's antics, I opened the second text which read:

_Goddammit Vera! Don't make me come over and get you myself, you know I will. Get your ass over here, now!_

"Jeez," I said under my breath. What crawled up his ass and died? I surely wasn't needed that much at Fangtasia tonight.

I quickly typed out a text in response.

_Chill yourself out Eric, I'm coming over now. 40 mins tops._

Jumping up from my bed I hurriedly applied my mascara and put on my usual work clothes; black stockings, a miniskirt, a tank top that reached down to just above my belly button, black heels and my leather jacket.

I also put on my silver necklace that I wore whenever I went out, the one that my parents gave to me for protection against bad things. Recently, it hadn't been working, but oh well.

My phone beeped at me and I scooped it up on my way downstairs. The message made me smirk.

_And she's alive! Meet me in my office when you arrive._

I shook my head. That drama queen…

* * *

Arriving at Fangtasia just minutes after eight pm (which was the time I thought I was supposed to arrive) I bypassed the humans standing in line and walked straight through the front door.

Pam had an annoyed expression on her face as she glanced at me. "Took you long enough."

I grumbled softly to myself. "Surely you don't need me that badly here, and it's only an hour, so it's not that bad."

She hissed softly, "Not in Eric's mind it isn't."

Rolling my eyes I walked through the door and headed to Eric's office where he was undoubtedly waiting for me to appear.

"Okay, I'm sorry I'm an hour late, I forgot to check my timetable. Happy?" I demanded as I closed the door behind me, crossing my arms over my chest as I stared at him.

"Not quite," he said as he stood up from his desk chair, hands in his pockets and staring down at me. He was at least half a foot taller than me, and so I had to look upwards at him.

I sighed. "I can make it up to you on Monday when my next shift starts. I'll be there an hour earlier."

"I'll think about it," he said with a smirk. I felt like punching him in the face.

Stepping to the side and averting my eyes, I surveyed his office and groaned. He had practically destroyed everything.

"Does this usually happen?" I muttered. He laughed darkly.

"Not often." Good.

Well, I'd better get started then.

Crouching down near his desk, I began to pick up the pieces of paper scattered everywhere, not bothering to read any of it. Most likely about vampire politics anyway; not something I was interested in.

After every paper was stacked (well, more like thrown) into the far corner of the room, I turned to look at the room, and saw Eric sitting comfortingly on his couch, watching me as I worked.

"Are you just going to sit there and watch me until I'm finished?" I huffed, glaring at him, which only made his smirk wider.

"It is fascinating to watch you work, so yes, I think so."

I barely held back the roll of my eyes. Men.

After sweeping the floor of plaster debris, I began to feel hot in my leather jacket. Unzipping it, I shrugged out of the long sleeves and dropped it onto the desk. As that happened, I felt something pull at my neck and a small _crack_ of something snapping.

I looked down and saw that my leather jacket had caught onto my necklace, effectively breaking the chain in half.

"Shit," I muttered. Now I would need to get it fixed, I should have been more careful.

However, before I could do anything else I heard a snick that sounded kind of like a door being closed, but not quite, before something slammed into me, pushing me roughly against the wall

I cried out at the sudden force, and opened my eyes to see Eric right before my eyes, fangs extended and a predatory look in his eyes. He no longer looked like the docile and bored vampire lounging on his throne, but instead a predator going in for the kill, which right now seemed to be me.

"Eric!" I squealed, and he clenched my shoulder in one hand tightly, moving his face forward so that his mouth was right next to my throat, his fangs grazing my skin lightly. I shivered slightly at the touch.

"What are you doing?" I whisper, trying to break free from his embrace, but that only made him growl at me. I quickly stopped moving.

"You smell… overpowering," he said in a broken voice, as if one part of him wanted to eat me, and another part didn't, instead wanting to be anywhere but here. "Like pure sunlight."

I heard him inhale deeply and moan into the side of my neck.

"Stop it," I said quietly.

"I… can't, the need, the want, it's uncontrollable."

Suddenly, I felt him bite me, sinking his fangs into my throat and I cried out in pain as he growled lustfully.

My hand raised upwards by itself, and from somewhere deep inside, I felt an electric current run through my body, before Eric was thrown backwards with a flash of white.

I sunk to the floor, my other hand reaching up to place over the bite on my neck as I stared at Eric in shock.

He was lying face down on the floor, but after a few moments raised his head and stared at me, fangs still extended. However, the predatory look was gone, and instead he looked ashamed and worried.

"Vera?" He said uncertainly, slowly rising to his feet and stepping towards me, right arm outstretched.

I shook my head fiercely. "Stay back," I hissed at him.

He looked almost hurt at my words, but I didn't care, he had forcefully bitten me with the intention of draining me dry. But why? He had been completely normal (for him) and then suddenly I was his next meal.

All I remembered was the chain of my necklace breaking and then Eric attacking me. Did the charm have something to do with what just happened? My parents had said it was a protection charm, but I never actually believed them.

Eric stopped his movements towards me, and instead stood rigidly, his eyes never leaving mine. "I don't know what came over me, but I swear, I won't hurt you… ah, any more than I already have." He looked almost sheepish as he spoke.

I stared at him with widened eyes before nodding. Yea, I knew what he could do, but I also had the power of throwing him backwards again if he did anything strange. What I wanted to know was why he suddenly attacked me.

Rising to my feet, hand still on my neck, I watched Eric intensely. "Why did you attack me?"

He shrugged and shook his head. "It was like someone had flicked a switch: suddenly you smelled ten times as more delicious than you usually did, and, I couldn't stop myself."

I believed what he said. He had been around me many times before without wanting to unexpectedly eat me. The strange thing was why it had happened now.

"Do I still smell extremely delicious?" I asked carefully, and he nodded. The lustful look was still there, the same could not be said for the predatory look though.

At least he was trying to keep his emotions and instincts under control.

I shivered, now feeling the cold, and still keeping my eyes on Eric, I slowly reached for my jacket, not making and sudden moves and grabbed my necklace at the same time. The moment my hand curled around the charm I heard another snick and turned my head to watch as Eric backed up and landed heavily on the couch, face in his hands and groaning.

What?

"Eric?" I asked hesitantly. His mood swings were scaring the shit out of me. An unpredictable Eric was not a good Eric, especially when he was chewing on me.

He groaned again before looking up at me. "Your scent is as it usually is; delicious, but not strong enough for me to lose control like I did before."

I stared blankly at him, before looking down at my necklace. When I had touched it, Eric seemed to revert back to 'normal'. Was the charm really filled with protective magic? Maybe if I experimented a bit…

I slowly put my broken necklace back on the desk, and when I was no longer in contact with it I heard and saw his fangs extend once more as he twitched, like the two sides were at war once more. I stared incredulously at the charm. My idea seemed to be correct about the charm.

"Um, I think all of this has something to do with my necklace," I said as I picked it back up, holding it tightly in my hands. I knew better than to let go of it again in case if Eric attacked me again.

Eric let out a deep, unnecessary breath as he stood up, running his hands through his long-ish blond hair. "Whatever this is about you should work it out someplace else. If I can't control myself around you, then no other vampire will be able to."

I nodded, agreeing one hundred percent with him. I didn't want to become an all-you-can-eat buffet for vampires to eat. I'd already been 'nibbled' on tonight, and I'd rather not have it become a usual thing.

He glanced at me, and I realized I still had my hand over my throat. I lowered my arm and my hand came away sticky with blood. I grimaced.

"I can heal you, if you want?" His voice seemed almost hesitant.

"Mmmm, I think I've seen enough blood spilled tonight."

"It will only be a few drops," he said cautiously, and I thought about it for a few moments before nodding slowly. It would be very hard to explain to everyone why I was wearing a scarf all day or my leather jacket, as the temperature had seemed to skyrocket lately. Plus I would then have to walk through the bar where all the other vampires were.

"Promise you won't eat me?" I said, staring at him suspiciously. He nodded.

"Cross my heart and hope to die."

Oh ha ha, very funny. I glared at him. I was not in the mood for jokes at the moment.

He walked closer to me, before extending his fangs once more and biting into his wrist with a crunch before offering it to me.

I put my necklace in one of my jacket's pockets before lifting one of my hands up to his arm. Latching onto his wrist with my mouth, I lapped at the blood that flowed out of the two holes.

At first it tasted purely metallic and coppery, but after the first swallow it morphed into something that I wanted more of, like a moth being drawn to a bright light. However, I stopped after half a dozen mouthfuls, licking my lips to rid them of any blood. All the while Eric was watching me intently, and blushing, I let go of his wrist.

"See? No blood was spilled." He said, and I watched curiously as the two pin pricks on his wrist healed and disappeared within seconds, before reaching up and feeling my own neck. The skin was already beginning to heal itself. However, the blood was still there, and I knew before I left Fangtasia that I would have to clean myself up.

"Excuse me," I said curtly, pushing past Eric and hurrying into the bathroom where, without letting go of my jacket, I washed the blood from my throat. I watched as the two marks on my throat slowly faded away until they were gone from sight.

Did doctors know about vampire blood being able to heal so quickly? They would be able to heal people from practically anything, though I doubted the vampires would actually tell anyone about what their blood could do.

Breathing in deeply, I let my hair down so it cascaded past my shoulders and walked back to Eric's office. It was still a huge mess, but I could repair it at a later time. I had more important matters to deal with.

I peeked my head around the door. "I'm going to take my leave, and once I get my necklace fixed I'll text you."

Eric nodded and I closed the door before walking out of Fangtasia and climbing into my car to drive home.

I looked at the clock in my car and couldn't help but laugh. I was almost eaten alive and it wasn't even nine pm yet.

* * *

"Mor? Vi har något mycket viktigt att diskutera!" **("Mother? We have something very important to discuss!")** I yelled out as I walked into my house.

She appeared from the living room, a worried look on her face. "Min vackra blomma kronblad... Vad händer?" **("My beautiful flower petal... what's going on?")**

I held out my necklace to her, which she gingerly took, a cautious look on her face.

"Is the necklace you and father gave me really magical?" I asked determinedly.

She nodded. "It was to protect you from harm whenever it was in contact with you."

I knew it!

"Why? Why was it given to me mother? What harm could I come to that I would need it?" There were so many questions I wanted to ask her, but I knew better than to ask too many at once.

I saw her hesitate, biting her lip, before looking at me with a saddened expression. "That I cannot tell you; it is not mine to share. Your father however…" She trailed off, and I reached forward to bring her into a hug. His death had been hard on me, but it was even worse for her.

While I was hugging her, I did the unspeakable of reading her thoughts. It was something I never wanted to willingly do, but she was hiding something from me, something important.

However, her thoughts seemed to almost crackle and fizz, like listening to a radio station with bad reception. All I received was that my father knew the information she was withholding from me.

I stopped listening and pulled back from the hug, staring into her eyes. The same thing had happened during my younger years before I learned to erect my mental barrier.

"I need to have the chain fixed by midday on Monday," I said softly. She nodded with a small smile on her face, wiping away the tears on her face before she looked at me curiously.

"Why are you back so early? You usually don't arrive until after I've gone to bed."

I sighed softly. At some point she needed to know that I was working, the only problem was that I was working for and with vampires, whom she detested with all her heart.

"Well, I got a job a few days ago and they didn't need me to work tonight," I said nonchalantly, attempting to look casual.

She seemed to perk up at the news I had gotten a job and smiled more widely than before. "Good on you for getting a job my beautiful flower petal!" **("…min vackra blomma kronblad!")**

I hugged her once more and slipped into the kitchen to eat dinner (which I practically inhaled) before heading upstairs with a "goodnight" and falling on my bed exhausted. Undressing and climbing under the covers, I closed my eyes and fell asleep almost instantly.

* * *

**Please review and tell me what you think of this chapter, it really motivates me to write :)**


	8. Vampire Bill

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or plot from Southern Vampire Mysteries or HBO True Blood, I only own my own character Vera Corvonic and the plot that I made up.**

**Thank you for reviewing my last chapter!**

**We finally make it to the first episode of season one, yay!**

* * *

I lay nude on top of my covers that were spread upon my bed, playing with a lock of my hair while staring up at the ceiling. In the dim light of my bedside lamp I could almost make out dancing shapes on the white surface above me. It was as if they were telling me a story of my oncoming doom.

My eyes lowered at the sound of a door squeaking open. I gasped at the figure standing in the doorway… butt naked.

"Eric?" I whispered. What was he doing in my house, and more importantly: in my bedroom?

He smirked and strode forward, like a cat stalking its prey, until he reached the end of my bed where he placed his hands on the frame and leaned forward.

The dim light cast flickering shadows on his pale face, morphing his features into something irresistible. I found myself unable to look away.

"I've missed you Vera," he murmured softly, inching slowly onto the bed until he was right above me; his hands on either side of my head.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, gasping as he lowered his mouth onto the corner of my mouth, placing gentle kisses along my jaw and throat.

"I came to see you." I heard the familiar _click_ of his fangs as he drew back to stare into my eyes. "Did you miss me?"

_Did_ I miss him? Some part of me wanted to say yes so badly, but the other was disgusted that I was even thinking about it, him. I found my body responding to him, blocking out what my mind wanted me to do.

"Maybe," I purred softly, raising my hands to curl around his neck and head, running my fingers through his long-ish blond hair and bringing his face close to mine for a heated, passionate kiss. He nibbled at my lower lip and I gasped, allowing him entry into my mouth. I could feel the slick smoothness of his fangs against my tongue.

I moaned as he ran a hand slowly and lightly down my side, before drawing back to breathe once more.

"I know you like this," he crooned gently. "And this," he leaned down to capture my mouth once more in a fleeting kiss, "and this," he kissed my throat, "and _this_," he sunk his fangs into my neck.

I started awake, gasping and suddenly sitting up, a hand flying to my neck. It wasn't covered in blood, and I breathed out a sigh of relief.

It was only then that I realized something: I'd just dreamt of Eric. What the fuck was wrong with me?

Groaning, I put my face in my hands and rocked back and forth for a few minutes until my phone started to beep at me from across my room, signaling that I had a text message.

Climbing out of bed I picked it up and opened the message, groaning again as I did so.

_Did you enjoy your dream?_

Apparently Eric could now see inside my head when I was dreaming, just great. I quickly replied, desperately trying to forget what my mind had conjured up.

_More of a nightmare actually._

My eyes widened as I realized what the time was. It read one pm. What was Eric doing awake during the day? I was pretty sure that vampires slept when the sun was up.

_I know it wasn't a nightmare. I could feel your lust, want, and desire, all for me. Don't deny you craved for more._

I grimaced. He was right, but that didn't mean I wanted to feel all of those emotions, especially for him.

_No matter what I dream of, I'm still off limits Eric. Nothing's gonna change that. Also, why are you awake? It's the middle of the day, shouldn't you be sleeping?_

I sat down on the edge of my bed, waiting…_eagerly_ for his reply, before I mentally kicked myself. No! I was not going to fall for him. Men, including vampires, were more trouble than they were worth.

_I beg to differ. One day you'll realize just how much you do want me. And as for the day walking; I could feel your emotions when you were dreaming of me. They woke me up from my slumber, not that I'm complaining though, _I_thoroughly enjoyed it._

I rolled my eyes. He thought that he was such a charmer, though, I guess his charming was working on me. Against my will I should add.

_Go to sleep Eric._

_As you wish. I will miss you until you return on Monday, min dyrbara fjäril._**(…my precious Butterfly)**

I stared down at my phone silently, reading and re-reading the last few words of his text. Did he know that I could speak or understand Swedish? Surely not, he knew almost nothing about my private life. Well, exempting my mind-reading ability. Even so, I couldn't stop the fluttering feeling in my chest from his words. It was like they meant something special to me, at least in my mind.

Growling at myself, I threw my phone onto my bed and strode into my en suite to have my morning (now known as my afternoon) shower and get ready for the day.

* * *

It was just past nine pm on a Sunday night and Merlotte's was packed full with customers. I had offered to help Sookie, Arlene and Dawn to serve tables, but at their insistence I dropped the subject. However, that didn't mean I wouldn't watch what they were doing with the curiosity of a cat.

Serving humans and serving vampires were two entirely different things, and by reading in on the minds of the customers I was almost glad I worked at Fangtasia. At least there I was safe from the vampires' thoughts, and the humans wanted nothing to do with me. Unless of course I was chatting with Eric, now _that_ was when they noticed me.

I was following Sookie with my eyes as she moved around the bar to serve her customers, listening in on the people around her through her own mind. It was a strange feeling, reading them through her thoughts, but interesting to say the least.

An older man with sparse greying hair and a round belly was licking his lips and gazing at the beer Sookie placed down in front of him.

_Just let me have just one beer tonight Jesus, one beer that's all I need, and if you just give me the strength to say no to beer number two then I swear -_

I wrinkled my nose at his pitiful thoughts. Men could just never say no to anything.

Then there was a sour-looking woman chewing acidly in some fries, seething at the older man at her table. Her thoughts weren't very pleasant to listen in on.

_- stuffing that shit in your face without a second thought. No don't you dare brag about me, eating fries, not after what I did for you last night in the bedroom, which by the way was _disgusting_… __although I kinda enjoyed it -_

I was almost glad when Sookie moved on from her thoughts, they were repulsive and I did not want to know anything else about her life. I shuddered.

My mind was then bombarded with the annoyed ramblings of a younger boy who didn't want to be in the restaurant or in Bon Temps.

_- who are these people and what the fucking hell is with this music. I feel like I'm trapped in some hillbilly ox cot nightmare. Man I cannot wait to get the hell out of this Podunk town - _

"Well make sure you do and before it's too late because every year you wait you'll just get more and more stuck here. Believe me, I know," Sookie said out loud in response to his thoughts.

_"__Way to go Sook!"_ I mentally cheered, grinning to myself.

_How did she know what I was thinking… that's weird. Did she hear my thoughts? Was I thinking out loud?_

I could see her give him and his parents (at least, I thought they were) her famous 'Crazy Sookie' smile from their perspectives. "I'm gonna get y'all some ketchup," she said with a hesitant laugh before walking away.

All the thoughts of the people in the bar were converging in her mind and I winced, even though it wasn't me that was being assaulted with them.

_"__C'mon Sookie, don't listen to them! Block them out."_ I thought to her, as well as giving her a mental boost in an attempt to help her shield herself from the oncoming tidal wave.

In a few moments her mind quietened down and she smiled before walking back to the kitchen to take someone else's order.

_"__Thanks,"_ she thought to me.

_"__No problem."_

As I spun back on my seat to face the bar I heard Sam talking on the phone to a woman called Tara. Sookie had told me about her before, but I was yet to come face-to-face with her. She seemed… interesting.

He handed the phone to Sookie, which she promptly took with an apology. "I'm so sorry Sam. She knows not to call me at work."

"Nah Sookie it's okay, you don't abuse the privilege like Arlene."

"Hey, I heard that!" Arlene said as she walked by, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

I laughed at their mock argument about phone privileges and drank from the glass of white wine I had ordered as a treat to myself… or maybe I was hoping to get semi-drunk tonight in the hopes I don't dream of Eric again. Either way, I was not going to let it go to waste, even if it did taste dry like alcohol always was.

Just then Dawn came striding up and looked over in the far corner, leaning in towards our little group. "Mack and Denise Rattray are just about to sit down in your section Sook."

Sookie whirled around just as the man smacked the woman's ass, to which she spun around. "What the fuck?!" She yelled, hitting him on the shoulder.

"Don't let 'em get to you Cher," Sam said. "They're not worth it."

"Yea!" I chimed in. "They're just regular old people that only want to bring unhappiness to those around them. Ignore them as much as you can." I winked and grinned at her.

She stared at me. "How many glasses of wine have you had?"

I looked down at my now empty glass. "Um… three or four? I wasn't counting," I said sheepishly.

Sookie shook her head, glancing at Sam. "Vera gets no more alcohol tonight Sam, I think she's had enough."

"Hey!" I responded, glaring at Sookie. She raised an eyebrow at me. I sighed. "Okay, but if I'm not having any more wine tonight then at least let me have another lemonade," I said grudgingly.

She smiled before taking in a deep breath and walking over to the Rattray's.

I watched her converse with them, but didn't bother to let down my mental barrier to listen to their thoughts. The wine was starting to get to me now, and as I was the lightest of lightweights, I was almost regretting having them. _Almost_.

Sookie returned within the minute to give their orders to Lafayette. "Onion rings, and you can drop a few of them on the floor. That's fine with me."

"Got it," he swiftly replied before looking up at her. "Ooooh Sookie, chica chica bow wow. You look like a porn star with that tan and pink lipstick. You got a date?"

"No, when I wear makeup I get bigger tips."

I sighed softly to myself. When _I_ wore makeup to work (I did once just to try it out; never again) the vampires wanted to 'get to know me better'. Not that not wearing makeup prevented that, but I guessed it made it seem as if I was looking for a date.

"They ain't scared of you honey chai; they scared of what's between yo legs." Lafayette grinned.

"Lafayette! That's nasty talking, I won't listen to that," Sookie said firmly.

I shook my head. "Better listen to the girl Lafayette or she'll have you _spanked_!" I laughed, grinning widely. Okay, maybe I really had had a bit too much to drink, but so far it was worth every second of it.

"Damn Vera, are you drunk?" He stared at me. I nodded, shrugging as I took a mouthful of my lemonade. It was the first time I'd been drunk since my twenty first birthday, and I could get a little… _rowdy_ when I was.

I listened as Dawn, Arlene and Lafayette began to teasingly bicker among themselves about what was really between a woman's legs and their own sexiness. It was hilarious to watch.

Apparently not for Sookie though as she quickly disappeared from the kitchen to busy herself with other things.

_"__Oh Sookie, you really gotta let yourself go sometimes. Have fun!"_ I urged.

_"__I can't and won't allow them to talk like that to me. What would gran say?"_ She mentally responded resolutely.

I shrugged. _"__If you say so…"_

At some point during the night Tara appeared looking sullen and depressed, and with a quick scan of her mind I found out that she had quit her job. Again.

"My life sucks," she said morosely, staring at her margarita.

"Tara now don't you be feeling sorry for yourself, that's just lazy."

"But why can't I keep a job?"

"Maybe because of your hostile attitude towards others?" I suggested.

"Bitch who asked you?" She said before winking at me. I laughed.

"How you doing Sookie?" Sam brightly asked, a wide smile on his face.

"I've had better nights," she responded.

He leaned forward on the counter. "Anything I can do to improve this one for ya?"

Sookie stared at him, shocked. Sam began to look uncomfortable.

I glanced at Tara and she gave me a sly grin, nodding with her head between them. I was confused for a moment before realizing what she was implying, but at that moment I was distracted by a sudden hole in my mental radar.

Spinning on my seat I turned to look at the vampire that just walked into Merlotte's, slowly making his way to a table in the far corner that away from everyone else. After a few moments it registered in my partially-drunk brain that it was the vampire from that night at Fangtasia… Bill, maybe?

He sat down and glanced up at our group, his eyes landing on me first and I could see recognition in his eyes as well as a slight twitch of his hands (caused by the one and only me) before his gaze switched to Sookie. She seemed to be frozen in place.

"Oh my god! I think Merlotte's just got its first vampire!" She whispered excitedly to us. I pretended to be excited too, hoping that she wouldn't search my mind and find out that I had already met him before. He was a gentleman, but as I wasn't wearing my necklace I knew my scent would be overpowering to him.

I cleared my throat. "Um, excuse me for a few minutes," I said before hopping off of my stool and hurrying to the bathroom, closing the door behind me and leaning against it with a sigh of relief. I'd rather not be chewed on tonight from another vampire, so I made the decision to stay as far away from him until he left.

Leaning on the sink, I splashed water on my face and dried it with paper towels before re-applying my mascara so it didn't looked smudged.

As I stood there I listened in on Sookie's mind, watching her encounter with the vampire through her eyes.

"Hi! What can I get for you tonight?" She said brightly, bouncing with excitement.

"Do you have any of that synthetic bottled blood?" Bill asked, ever the gentleman.

"No, I'm so sorry. Sam got some a year ago but nobody ever ordered it so it went bad," she explained. "You're our first… _vampire_," she added, leaning forward.

"Am I that obvious?"

Hell yea, especially if one was a telepath, I thought to myself. I had known almost immediately, but then again I'd already seen him before, so I guess my point of view didn't count. Not that I wouldn't have noticed anyway with the hole his mind created in my mental radar.

"I knew the minute you came in. Can't believe nobody else around here seems to."

"He does," the vampire said, nodding at Sam.

"Oh don't worry about Sam, he's cool. I know for a fact he supports the vampire rights amendment."

"How… progressive of him." Bill didn't seem especially pleased by her answer.

Sookie smiled and stared at the vampire for a few moments. "Well, anything else you drink?" She queried.

"Actually no. But you can get me a glass of red wine so I have a reason to be here."

She continued to smile and stare at him. "Well, whatever the reason, I'm glad you are."

"Don't mind Sookie now, mister. She's crazy as a bed bug," Mack said suddenly, moving to sit opposite of Bill.

"I'll just get your wine for you," Sookie said before striding off to the bar. I raised my mental barrier once more and stared at my reflection for who knows how long until I felt his presence leave the bar and go outside. Waiting a few extra minutes to make sure he was gone I slowly exited the bathroom and made my way back to my seat and sat down.

I glanced around the bar. "Where's Sook?"

"She went to go help that vampire from the Rattray's," Tara said sullenly, looking bored behind the bar.

"Fuck," I muttered. "She's gonna get herself killed." If I knew that the vampire wouldn't turn on me like Eric had I would've gone after her, but I was no use if I was drained of all my blood. Well, she was just gonna have to stay safe by herself.

"That's exactly what I told her!" Tara grumbled.

It seemed like forever until she finally came back. "Dammit Sook!" I exclaimed, hugging her tightly.

"Vera? What's going on?" She gasped, drawing back from my hug.

"Well, I was worried about you when you went to help that vampire."

She rolled her eyes. "His name is Bill, and he needed saving."

"Oh sure he did," I said, shaking my head but smiling.

"Now, it's time for me to go home, its way past when I was originally going to stay."

"But you're drunk!" She said sternly.

"Only partially-drunk," I corrected. "And I promise I'll drive at a snail's pace if it makes you feel better," I added, grumbling.

"All right, I'll let you go off on your own this time, but be careful!"

"You too Sook! Night everyone!" I waved my goodbyes to my new friends and, as I had promised Sookie, I drove slowly and carefully back home.

* * *

"Fuck!" I gasped, waking up from yet another dream about Eric. This time it had been worse. Much, much worse. I shivered at the memory of his fingers gliding along my bare skin and the feel of his fangs brushing gently along the skin of my throat. I really needed to figure out how to stop the dreams, seeing as alcohol did nothing to help.

Lucky for me today Eric didn't send me another text commenting on my dream. That was one good thing.

Rushing through my usual morning-now-afternoon routine I dragged out one of the sunbathing chairs from the shed and lay down on it, wearing sunglasses, a sports bra and short shorts, letting the sun tan my skin.

I didn't burn or tan very easily, so I didn't bother most of the time, but my head ached from the wine the night before and I was feeling lazy.

"Vera?"

I sat up and took my sunglasses off to look at my mother. "Yeah?"

"I fixed your necklace min vackra blomma kronblad," **("…my beautiful flower petal,") **she said happily, holding it out to me.

Taking it from her hands I put it around my neck once more, feeling more relaxed than I had been when I was away from it. "Tack." **("Thanks.")**

Just as I lay back down my mother interrupted me once again, this time saying it was an urgent phone call from Sookie.

"Sookie, what's wrong? Did something happen?" I asked worriedly.

"It's Maudette Pickens…" she whispered. "She was found strangled, in her apartment."

"Oh my god," I said, shocked, quickly sitting down on the chair. "Why would someone do that?"

"I don't know Vera. But gran told me that Bud Dearborne found her when she didn't show up for work or return their calls."

I didn't know what to say.

"And you know what the worst thing is?"

"What?"

"Jason's hiding something from me."

I gasped. "You don't think he did it, do you?"

"No, I know that he didn't do it. Jason's not a killer, but he knows something about it."

"Well, thanks for telling me Sook. I'll be real careful in looking out for the killer, you too, you hear me?"

"Of course I will. See you tonight at Merlotte's?"

"Yes, see you there. Bye."

I got up from the chair and went back inside to return the phone to its original place.

"What was it about?" My mother asked.

I sighed. "A girl, Maudette Pickens, was found strangled in her apartment this morning."

She gasped. "No!"

"Yes," I countered.

"You make sure you're safe Vera, okay? I don't want anything like that happening to you," she said worriedly.

"I will mother," I smiled, giving her a quick hug before going back outside and attempting to tan myself once more without any interruptions.

* * *

I was once again sitting at the bar in Merlotte's instead of working at Fangtasia, even though my mother had given my necklace back to me earlier in the day. I had texted Eric to say I would return to work tomorrow, not exactly lying, but not telling the absolute truth either. I just wanted some more time to think about how I was going to react to Eric the next time I saw him.

The bar wasn't as packed as it had been the night before, but there was still people drinking and doing what they usually did. It was almost serene if I blocked out all the chatter.

"Hey! Hooker, how you doing, what you doing here?" Lafayette said as he came out of the kitchen.

"I work here," Tara replied dourly.

"Oh no, to hell you don't."

"Yes the hell, I do too you ugly bitch. You need to make peace with that."

"Ah shit, Sam must have lost his damn mind because you should not be allowed to work here in no situation where you actually gotta interact with people."

"That is so not true."

"Lafayette, Tara, calm it down," I said, raising an eyebrow at them and taking a sip of my drink.

"Oooh, Vera, not gonna get drunk tonight?" He chuckled. I shook my head.

"Nope, last night was more than enough for me. Getting drunk just isn't my thing."

"Nah, it definitely _is_ your thang."

I rolled my eyes at him, but grinning nonetheless. We got along fairly well, and there was never a dull moment when he was around.

However, I was not in the mood to listen to anything else as my head was still throbbing from the night before, which was exactly the reason why I never drank alcohol. I seemed to just not be able to hold my liquor at all. So I sat on my stool staring down at my drink, willing the pain to go away so I could enjoy myself for the night.

That did not seem to be the case as Sookie suddenly strode past me and towards where Arlene and a few men were hanging out playing pool. She looked pissed.

"What happened to my brother Rene?" She demanded.

"Aww… hell I promised him I wasn't gonna tell you," one of the guys – most likely Rene – said sheepishly.

"What happened?"

"Oh uh, well, Bud Dearborne and Andy Bellefleur asked him some questions and then they just threw him in the back of the squad car," another man explained.

"So you don't even know for a fact that they arrested him?" Sookie didn't look impressed.

"Well, they didn't cuff him or nothing…" Rene trailed off as I got up from my stool and stood beside her.

"Seeing as they took him away in the squad car I'm pretty sure that means he got arrested," I said to her.

They bickered among themselves about Jason for a few minutes before the hole in my mental radar appeared again, and both Sookie and I turned around to stare at Bill.

He sat down in one of the tables and I watched as she slowly walked over to him, shaking my head. I couldn't believe her, but then again, I _did_ work for a vampire.

I could hear the negative thoughts of everyone in the bar about Sookie and Bill and scrunched my nose. They all thought she couldn't protect herself against him, and that he was an abomination. It made me feel sick to know that everyone despised Bill because of what he was.

"Good evening miss Stackhouse," he said to Sookie as she sat down.

She took his offered hand and I could see her relax as the thoughts of everyone else was filtered out of her mind.

"Your hand is cool," she said uncertainly.

"Yes uh, I'm afraid I'm not as warm as the men that you must be accustomed to."

"What men?" Sookie giggled. "What can I get for you tonight?"

Bill leaned forward. "What are you?" He asked.

I could remember the night when Eric asked me that very same question, and had to fight back a laugh. Sookie and I both enrapture vampires without even trying, read minds; it was like we were long lost sisters, even though I knew we weren't.

"I told you: I'm a waitress," she calmly responded. He shook his head.

"No, you're something more than that. You're something more than human."

Sookie laughed. "I beg your pardon?"

"Sookie… that's an unusual name Sookie. Is it short for something else?"

"Nope. Just plain Sookie."

_"__Sookie, you are not plain!"_ I mentally exclaimed, outraged that she would say such a thing about herself. Nothing about her was plain, in fact I'd say she was about the complete opposite.

At that point I took myself out of her head and glanced at everyone else in the bar. They all seemed to be staring at Sookie and Bill, who both didn't look as if they noticed.

Everyone was quiet as they conversed until Bill stood up and walked out, which then they started to gossip among themselves. I shook my head and quickly sat down on the stool as Sam grabbed Sookie by the arm and dragged her to his office.

_"__Sookie, you really are a magnet for trouble,"_ I said mentally, hoping that she was alright. Within seconds Tara left to follow them, and I could hear raised voices before Sookie stormed out to continue waitressing. I almost reached out to her, but quickly decided against that when I saw her face. She looked furious yet sad.

I stayed at the bar until her shift ended and all the customers had left.

"Shouldn't you be heading home Vera?" She asked me. I shrugged.

"I wanted to make sure that you're alright."

I heard her sigh heavily. "I can look after myself, I don't know why everyone thinks that I need to be protected from every little thing."

"Oh Sook," I said, embracing her in a hug. "They only do that because they love and care for you deeply."

She hugged me back. "I know, but sometimes it's just too much."

I drew back from the hug, grinning. "Well then you show them whose boss!"

We both laughed and walked out of Merlotte's.

"See you Sook," I said.

"Drive safely."

"I always do."

Taking my keys out of my pocket I walked over to my car, which was on the other side of the lot, and only just unlocked my car when I heard a scream. Not a scream out loud, but one in my mind.

"Sookie!" I yelled, spinning around and running back to the parking lot. I needed to help her; she was in trouble.

* * *

**Please review and tell me what you thought of this chapter :)**


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